The Price of Memory
by Browny Pink
Summary: Almost a decade has passed since L survived the Kira case, and no one has seen or heard from him since. Now, a mysterious, new killer emerges in Japan, a killer who's able to completely conceal the identity of his victims, leaving the police scrambling to find out the identity of both the victims and the killer. AU from episode 25 and on. Spoiler. Minor MatsudaXOC (slowburn)
1. Prologue

_**A/N: Hi there! It's finally here for those of you who follow any of the other works I've posted in the past year! For those of you who haven't, it's so nice to have you here. I'm Alyssa! I'm so, so excited for this. I worked on it for over a year, so the whole thing is already written out. It just needs it's final edits, so I'll be releasing chapters once a week on Fridays.**_

 _ **The whole story came about because I was rather put off by L's death in the series, partly because I am a major fangirl of the quirky detective, but also because I honestly thought it was a bit of a cheap way to get him out of the way. So! I thought that I wanted to write a story about another case L worked on in a universe where he survived, and here we are.**_

 _ **With all that said, I really hope you like the prologue and that I've done a decent job of keeping everyone in character. The show holds a special place in my heart as does this story, so I hope you all enjoy reading it as much as I have writing it.**_

 _ **ENJOY!**_

 _ **DISCLAIMER: I don't own Death Note. This was made for entertainment purposes only with no intent of copy infringement.**_

* * *

 **~}(){~**

 **The Price of Memory: Prologue**

" _To your grave I spoke, **  
**Holding a red, **  
**Red rose. **  
**Gust of freezing cold air, **  
**Whispers to me, **  
**You're gone._

 _Spent a lifetime of holding on, **  
**Just to let go. **  
**I guess I'll spend another lifetime, **  
**Searching for a new hope." - Broken Iris "A New Hope"_

 **~}(1){~**

L wandered down the empty corridor, his bare feet padding silently against the ground and head ducked lower than usual. Dread weighed on his shoulders almost as though it was a physical weight and made his steps sluggish and hesitant. It had been building steadily over the past few days, and now, it was reaching a peak, the beginning of the end – his final chapter in the Kira Case.

For all his genius, L was unable to find a way around the upcoming events that would allow him a total victory – a way without some losses. Perhaps, had he accounted for... No. Even if he had known certain facts earlier on, it likely would have resulted in the same outcome. Light was too smart to go down without a struggle, and even if certain events had changed earlier, another set would have replaced them. It was inevitable when facing an opponent such as Kira. Regardless, L did not care to think of the past in what ifs. It would not change matters and wouldn't help him find solutions. He found it a waste of time, a commodity he sorely lacked at the moment.

His feet paused of their own accord when he reached the door at the end of the darkened hall, light spilling out from the crack under the door and lighting on his toes. Although he knew he needed to divulge his plan to Watari as soon as possible, the great detective hesitated to enter the room just yet. L was not one for displaying his true emotions. To him, it was revealing one's weakness, and in the world he lived in, any weakness was exploited. However, Watari was his closest companion and would never abuse that. Beside that, Watari had seen him at both his best and his worst over the years, so there was no need to hide anything from him. He thought of him almost like a father, considering Watari had been by his side for the majority of his life. That also meant that L couldn't hide such deep distress from him even if he wanted to. Either way, it didn't matter. The dark-haired detective had to speak to him.

Allowing himself to breathe a shuddering sigh, L pushed through the door. However, he couldn't bring himself to look Watari in the eye, his gaze trained on a crack in the tile flooring not too far in front of him.

"What seems to be the trouble, Ryuzaki?" His inquiry came the moment L entered. Watari was always as helpful as he was loyal.

L didn't respond. Although he wanted, no needed, to speak, his words failed him, and silence settled, thick with unspoken concerns between the two. He heard Watari's chair squeak as he swiveled around to face him at the lack of response, realizing that something had happened.

"Hm? What's wrong?"

L swallowed past the lump in his throat, his mouth feeling dry, and when he found his voice, he kept it as disconnected and emotionless as he could manage. "Watari, I am certain you know this as well, but..." L finally glanced up, meeting Watari's concerned gaze for a moment before averting his eyes once again. It would be better to just spit it out. The longer he drew this out, the more difficult it would become for him. "There is less than a one-percent chance that both of us will live to see the conclusion of this case. The Shinigami knows more than it's letting on, and I believe it is planning something."

Watari hummed in agreement, his face pinched slightly in concern. "Our survival _is_ very unlikely due to the supernatural aspects in this case."

Clenching his hands into the loose material of his shirt at his sides, L continued, "However, there is a slightly greater chance that one of us will survive." Of course, when he said 'one of us,' L was referring to Watari. Although Watari's chances were low, L knew that his odds were better. L had no doubt that if only one of them could be killed with the Death Note, Light would make certain it was him though it was still more than likely that they both would die in the end by Kira's hand... In that case, the responsibility of stopping Kira would fall to L's successors... It could take years before they were ready to do what he wouldn't be able to.

"I see... What of it?" Watari folded his hands over his lap after adjusting his spectacles. His voice seemed too loud to L. Or perhaps the room was too quiet.

"In light of this fact, I would suggest that if one of us survives, y-he", L corrected himself, "should attempt to fake their death, allowing Kira to think he's won. It would give us more time to continue our investigation unimpeded. If Light believes we both have died, he will be too busy celebrating to pay as close of attention as he should."

Watari remained silent for a moment, and L could see the calculating look he was giving him out of the corner of his peripherals. "Very well, Ryuzaki," he said gravely, rising to his feet.

"Thank you." Tilting his head up once more, L forced his eyes to meet Watari's gaze and hold it this time. "For this reason, I would ask that you keep a vial of Tetrodotosin with you at all times." Using that was, in truth, an enormous risk in and of itself. However, L believed it was the only way to successfully convince someone as clever as Light of their demise, and risk was necessary to win the game, so to speak.

L saw his own sorrow and fears reflected in Watari's eyes, one of the reasons he had been hesitant to meet them. "You have no hope that you'll survive this, do you?" Watari said, less of a question and more of a statement. Even without confirmation, his companion knew exactly what he was thinking.

He answered anyways. "No."

Watari's face hardened at his response. "L, I hope you intend to carry some of this poison as well."

At the sudden change in demeanor, L scratched the back of his head. They both knew what Kira was capable of, and they both knew he considered L to be his enemy. While Watari also presented a threat, Kira had never directly called him out in the way he had L. "I don't see the point in it to be honest."

Frowning, Watari closed the space between them until they were less than an arm's length apart, and the old man rested his hands on L's shoulders in a comforting manner. "I'm afraid I must insist otherwise," he told him with an authoritative tone to his voice. "You know as well as I do the chance still exists. It would be foolish to rule it out entirely, Ryuzaki."

L knew this was just Watari's way of trying to console him, and perhaps it defeated the purpose if L knew what he was doing. However, it still worked, and the dread over his impending death eased just a bit, but it made him feel lighter than he had in days. Giving a slight nod, he said "Of course, Watari. You are right... as always." He didn't believe the words himself, and neither did Watari, in all likelihood. But that was something that would remain unspoken, and that was for the best. Voicing his fears would not beneficial in any way.

A smile twitched at the corners of Watari's mouth though there was an undeniable sadness to it. "I will make the necessary arrangements with Roger," Watari concluded, giving his shoulder one final squeeze before turning back towards his seat.

However, L's arm shot out before he could stop himself, grasping his friend's hand and returning Watari's attention to himself. "Thank you, Watari ... for everything." It was short and simple, and not near enough, L knew. He owed that man very much, more than he could ever give, and perhaps it was something he should say. But L had never been one to go on if it wasn't absolutely necessary, and Watari knew... He must have.

Much like he had that first day at the Wammy House, Watari squeezed his hand comfortingly before drawing him in for a hug to L's surprise. "It has been my honor, L."

Exhaling a little shakily, L stiffly raised his arms to return Watari's embrace. Even if it had been unexpected, it was not unwelcome, and a soft sort of sadness came to L then, a thousand memories of a thousand cases they had solved coming to mind. Finally, the old man patted his back once, twice, and then stepped back from the hug. Turning away, L released his hand and hastily exited the room before anything else could be said. What was there to say at any rate? Despite Watari's reassurances, L had little hope of surviving. Honestly, they both did. However, as a final gift, he would carry the Tetrodotosin with him as Watari had asked him.

Tetrodotosin was a poison found in puffer-fish When ingested, it covered one's nerve endings, causing a numbness throughout the body that reduced the heart rate to an extreme low and making the victim appear to die. However, if an antidote was not administered in the next seventy-two hours, the victim would die. Still yet, chances of survival even with an antidote were less than hopeful. However, it was a convincing way to feign one's death.

At that moment, to his dismay, L's gut told him that one of them would survive. Though, at present, he was unsure whether this was good or not.

 **~}(2){~**

"Just a little more!" L cut off Soichiro before he could continue protesting the decision to make someone use the Death Note. Rem observed in silence, and though she outwardly appeared to take no interest in the current conversation, she was listening intently to the young detective's words.

"If we just clear this," he continued, and she tensed. In a way, she was almost certain she knew what he was about to say though she found herself hoping he wouldn't. It would be much simpler for her if he wouldn't. "This case will be solved."

Lightning cracked the sky, and as though protesting what she was about to do, the heavens roared. At once, Rem flashed to Watari's computer room, standing just behind the old man as he tapped away at a keyboard, not even aware of her presence. A brief note of reluctance played on her, knowing that she was in essence killing herself, and that was something she had never expected, nor wanted to do. However, Misa's smiling face flickered into her mind and strengthened her resolve.

 _'It seems as though you win, Light Yagami,'_ she thought bitterly.

Before she convinced herself to back out of it, Rem wrote the old man's name in her book and then watched dispassionately as he struggled to press a button on his computer. It was a simple movement, little more than a flick of the wrist, yet it was the action that sealed her fate. From that second on, she was on a time-table. _'Strange,'_ she thought as she watched the old man writhe and gasp, _'how it only takes a feeling to kill a Shinigami.'_

At that moment, the first stab of pain clawed at Rem, signifying her own impending demise and reminding her she wasn't done yet. She only needed to write one more name. Then Misa would be safe.

"Watari!" L's voice was cut off as Watari managed to press the button, and the message 'All data deleted' flickered across the screens.

Not wasting anymore time, Rem headed for the main room, not quite brave enough to use her powers in this state.

 **~}(3){~**

"I told Watari to erase all information in the event that something happened to him."

So … It was time.

"If something happened..." Aizawa trailed off.

"Could it be?" Matsuda asked, his voice shrill with panic as they all glanced frantically around themselves.

"Where's the Shinigami?" L inquired, and with their attention diverted, he pulled out a small vial of clear liquid and downed the contents. Before they turned back around, he slid the empty container through a small crack under the desk. It would be highly unfortunate for him if Light found it. As paranoid as he was, the brunette man would realize something was wrong.

 **~}(4){~**

Rem gripped the pen so tightly her knuckles hurt. However, she barely felt it compared to pain in the rest of her body. As a being who had rarely experienced any sort of physical sensation, she had not it would hurt this much, and the process of disintegration was taking its toll on her faster than expected to her frustration.

Her vision kept blurring, and she was having trouble focusing Resolutely, she forced herself to keep the Death Note steady even as the ends of her hair turned to dust, feeling each and every particle burn away. She began scratching out the name. _L L-A-W-L-I-E-_

Rem released an animalistic cry as she dropped her pen as the fingers on her hand dissolved. No! She had been so close to finishing it. There was only one more letter left. This was very bad. If no one killed L, Misa would be caught and murdered.

Dropping to her knees, Rem groped for the pen with her hand-less wrists. Maybe, she could still finish it. However, the rest of her body was disappearing fast, and all of a sudden, she knew she would not be able to do it. She was out of time. Rem screeched, hunching over in despair. This wasn't supposed to happen like this. After a moment though, she straightened, closing her eyes. She was a Shinigami, and she wanted to die with dignity even if she was going to die alone.

"I'm sorry, Misa. I tried. Perhaps Light can keep you safe," Rem said to empty hallway as she crumbled into a pile of dust.

 **~}(5){~**

"Everyone ... The Shiniga-" L cut himself off, widening his eyes. This needed to be believable Not only was he faking a heart attack, but he was giving the poison time to take effect as well. Beyond that, his audience was not full of idiots.

Dropping the spoon he had been toying with and letting himself list to the side, L began to fall. Then Light ... that murderer had the gall to catch him even after he had just murdered Watari. Then again, L had expected nothing less from Kira, the murderer who had killed hundreds. The great detective fought against the urge to let his sorrow break through his facade. As he "died," L stared into Light's eyes, which were, quite convincingly, brimming with tears, and searched for any traces of the person he had wanted Light to be even when he knew he wasn't.

But then, L felt the poison begin to take effect as his lips and appendages numbed. In truth, it surprised him that the Shinigami had not killed him yet. Obviously, it would consider him a threat even more so than Watari, so why wasn't he dead? Maybe he was, but the poison prevented him from feeling the heart attack – possible, but unlikely. As the poison integrated into his system, he watched Light smirk triumphantly and closed his eyes to prevent his own reveling from showing.

Light bought it, and he'd also revealed himself.

At last, L had the definite, undeniable proof for his mind that the brunette boy was Kira. _'Thank you, Watari, my friend. I couldn't have done it without your sacrifice.'_ This was the last thought L would remember having before the poison took full effect.

 **~}(6){~**

With no small difficulty, L's eyes slid open, feeling crusty and gummy all at once. Along with a severe dryness in his mouth and throat, a relentless throbbing pounded against his temples, the dehydration setting in. He stared at the ceiling, not moving yet, and simply blinked a few times. Well, this was a surprise as he hadn't expected to awaken again. Perhaps he was getting rusty.

Snorting derisively, he dismissed this immediately.

However, that still left the question of how he _had_ survived. Why would the Shinigami not kill him as well? It wouldn't make any sense at all to let him live after making an attack like that. No.. It didn't make sense. The Shinigami would not have left him alive if it could help it, so then, it must not have been able to finish its task for some reason. Hmm.. That was worth considering further. Perhaps, though it was only a theory, it was a sign that gods of death were not meant to save lives. Ignoring his headache, L pushed himself into a sitting position and fought past a wave of dizziness from having been idle for so long. The one thing that was certain was that laying around would accomplish nothing. Carefully removing the IV attached to his arm, L swung his legs over the edge of the bed in time to see an elderly man with white hair push through the door, smiling when he saw L sitting up in bed.

"Hello, Roger," L rasped, mentally noting the prudence of acquiring a cup of coffee as soon as possible. As well as a tray of sweets. He didn't care what kind, but he could tell that his system was reacting negatively to the lack of sugar.

"It is good to see your eyes open once more, Ryuzaki. You've had us all rather out of sorts seeing as we've never seen them closed before." As though reading his mind, Roger pressed a cup of steaming coffee in his hand, the familiar weight and warmth comforting to him. "For a moment, I feared you would never regain consciousness."

L nodded. "I had not expected to, in truth," the dark-haired detective admitted. He took a sip of coffee and tried not to wince. It wasn't nearly sweet enough. "May I have some sugar, please?"

"A moment," Roger agreed, nodding, as he exited the room.

Glancing up at his surroundings, L caught his reflection in a mirror hanging on the wall and studied it, trying to decide if he looked healthier than normal or not. On one hand, the dark circles around his eyes seemed to have eased up, which he blamed on his extended nap. However, his cheeks were more gaunt than he remembered. Either way, L didn't care as he had never been one to worry about his appearance. Likely, it would all return to the normal state soon enough, and that's all that mattered. As long as it didn't affect his mind, he could ignore it.

"Here you go, Sir." Roger pressed a box of sugar cubes into his free hand.

A pang of sorrow hit L at the memories the familiarity brought with it. How many times had he heard that exact phrase from another man over the years?.. Watari was... No. He wouldn't dwell on that now. He needed to focus on catching Kira. That would be the best way to honor his fallen companion. At the moment, it was the only way. Nothing he could do would bring Watari back, but at the very least, he would stop Kira. He wouldn't let Watari's sacrifice have been in vain. He would defeat Kira for the sake of justice, the ideal Watari had always striven for by his side.

"Thank you," he murmured distractedly, dropping the cubes into his beverage until it was less of a liquid than a sludge. Setting the box on the small table at his bedside, L picked up the spoon Roger had brought with his fingertips and stirred his drink, staring down into the dark liquid.

Roger broke the silence they'd fallen into for the past few moments. "I see you've somehow increased your sugar intake."

Glancing back up at the man, L slurped his drink. "Hm? Oh, yes. I have. It was necessary."

"To solve the Kira Case?" the elderly man clarified, one eyebrow raised in interest.

"Yes..." L nodded, not in much of a mood to talk overly so. After being unconscious for so long, he was ready to begin working once more. "Tell me," he said after the pause, "exactly how long did I sleep?" While speaking, he continued sipping his coffee. "I am assuming it's been around a week from the stiffness of my body."

"Indeed. It has been precisely six days since we retrieved you from the morgue and switched out the caskets."

"There were no complications in the operation then?"

"Thankfully not," the old man told him, standing with his hands clasped behind his back. "The others are all content to believe that you were killed by the Shinigami."

"I see..." He trailed off, hesitant. "I suppose there has already been a funereal." Not speaking,

Roger nodded in response, eyes downcast, knowing what L was really asking. Watari's funereal had already passed as well. After another moment of silence, the older man offered, "If you wish, we could hold our own ceremony for him."

Nodding, L answered, "Perhaps afterwards. For now, we should focus on the Kira case. Light has played around enough already." With one final loud slurp, L set his cup aside, standing. Glancing down at himself, he frowned at the hospital gown they had dressed him in and picked at the material. It was far from what he normally wore – as the same with most people – and he was ready to get out of it as soon as possible. "Was this necessary? Never mind. Take me to my things if you would."

"This way." After they stepped into the hallway, Roger added, "It's not far."

It was a simple building with non-descript carpeting and walls, dim lighting, and few windows, but L knew from the glimpse of the city he had caught from the window that they were in another sky-scraper type building only a few blocks away from the Kira Task-force Headquarters. Trailing silently behind Roger, L fidgeted with his hands at his sides. He wished to shove them in his pockets like he normally did and once more thought of how eager he was to change into his usual attire. The gown was uncomfortably breezy, and the material scratched against his skin. Without his normal clothing, he felt ... off. Then again, if he was being honest, the whole situation was doing a lot to add to the askew feeling. The world was off right now with the appearance of Shinigami, books that could kill with only a name and a face, a genius madman who thought he was justice, and the death of one of the greatest men who ever lived.

Roger led L down the narrow corridor, turned left twice, and then entered the first room on the right. Inside, the room was dark, light from several monitors the only source of illumination, and rather small with simple white walls and tan carpeting Sitting on a U-shaped desk, half the monitors displayed alternating images of both the building L assumed they were in and of the Kira Task Force Headquarters. The other half showed non-descript pages of writing, presumably his and Watari's own notes on on the case. In front of the computers, a crisply folded bundle of clothing sat. And L knew this would be where he spent most of his time in this new workplace.

"Thank you, Roger," L said, heading for the clothing set and pulling the horrid gown over his head without any consideration for modesty.

Caught off guard for the action, Roger coughed a bit incredulously before regaining his composure though it was obvious that the man was uncomfortable still yet. "It is no trouble. I shall leave you to change then," he offered, all but running from the room in his haste.

L hummed thoughtfully, stepping into his jeans. What was his problem? After L finished dressing, Roger returned to see what L wanted him to do next. Climbing onto the office chair they had provided, L settled into his customary position, tucking his knees to his chest and resting his hands atop them. "Roger," he began, pressing his thumb against his lower lip, "has any progress been made on the Kira Case in my absence?"

"Nothing from the investigators on the task force or anyone else," Roger explained, his hands clasped behind his back once more as was his usual stance.

"Then the time has come for that to change. With that in mind, would you bring me a phone."

Moving to stand next to L, he fished a flip-phone out of his pocket and offered it to the genius detective without hesitation. "What are you going to do?" Roger asked as L plucked the phone out of his hand using his fingertips.

"I plan to finally put an end to this absurdity," he replied vaguely, punching in a phone number.

" _Hello? Who is this?"_

"Soichiro Yagami, first of all, please keep the following conversation a secret from your colleagues. Tell me, are you alone?"

" _I don't ... Who is this?"_ Soichiro demanded, his voice tinged with confusion.

So, he hadn't recognized L's voice. Or perhaps he had, and that was, for the older detective, more confusing than had it been a stranger. Rolling his eyes to the ceiling, L leaned back. "I will reveal my identity once assured of your solitude." Even as he spoke the words, he knew the probability of the ex-Police Chief simply doing as he asked, and mentally, L noted that it was good that he was using more caution now unlike he had when they first met. However, that didn't mean it wasn't annoying at the moment. Deciding to save them both time, he sifted through the surveillance feeds and confirmed that Soichiro was, in fact, alone.

" _Perhaps I am,"_ Soichiro admitted after an extended pause, and L could see him peeking through the blinds of his window, making certain there wasn't anyone suspicious hovering around outside. _"Now, tell me who you are?"_

"This is L," the dark-haired detective said simply, knowing the reaction it would provoke in the old man. He watched the monitor, amused at the sight of Mr. Yagami's eyes bugging out, and for a moment, L thought he might drop the phone considering the way his hands were shaking. He wondered if it was from disbelief or anger for the monitor made it difficult to tell what his exact expression was like.

" _T-that's impossible..."_ The detective trailed off. Then his expression hardened – ah, so it was anger – and frowning deeply, he added, _"I was at your funereal."_

"Hm? Oh, that wasn't me."

" _Let's say I do believe you... How did you survive? The Shinigami... It killed Watari and you. We all saw the bodies. We buried you both."_

L frowned, hesitating a moment. That was the exact question he had been asking himself since he had awakened not so long ago, and he doubted he would get an answer until he finished this case. However, instead of admitting to all that, L simply dismissed his question, his voice sounding even more careless than usual. "It seems I am difficult to kill." After another pause, the detective continued to his actual reason for calling, "Mr. Yagami, I require your co-operation."

" _Well, if nothing else, you can act like Ryuzaki... Still, you know I can't just believe you. How do I know you're really L?"_ Mr. Yagami asked, and despite his words, L knew that he already believed that he was who he said he was. It was in his tone, and if he didn't, he wouldn't have stayed on the phone at this point.

Ignoring his question, L explained, "I wish to continue with my previous line of investigation. In order to do so, I ask that you relinquish the Death Note to me."

There was a snort of disbelief that came from the other end of the line, and L saw him pull a face to match it. _"You don't really believe I would just hand over something so dangerous without confirming your identity, do you? And I have more questions. If you are L, why would you fake your death in the first place? Why would you and Watari put us through all of that? Why would you put_ Light _through that? He cried over you."_

"I'm afraid Watari is not with me anymore," L told the ex-Police Chief tonelessly, not letting his emotion seep through. L watched as he crept towards the door of his room. "Mr. Yagami, do not leave the room, please. I wish for my survival to remain secret at present," the dark-haired man revealed. Soichiro froze, his features contorting in surprise, realizing suddenly that he was being watched, and L saw him glance up at the camera placed in the corner of the room. "As to why, it's because I am allowing Kira to think he's won, so I may solve this case without his interference."

" _I'm.. sorry about Watari. He was a good man... But why shouldn't I inform the task force? Kira isn't among them,"_ Soichiro insisted.

"Mr. Yagami, you are well aware of my beliefs regarding the identity of Kira. However, even if that were the case, which I do not believe, Kira is able to retrieve information at will from the task force at the very least, and I cannot allow him to know of my survival. Working in secret again, I'll be able to conduct my investigation more freely." It was tiring being the only one to see Light as anything other than innocent. Though, he supposed he could not blame them. Light was an excellent opponent. The man was the perfect sociopath. He knew how to do and say all the right things. Light was a leader; people wanted to believe in him, and so that's what made him so dangerous. However, L was better at this game of chess they played, and in the end, he would win. Justice was on his side, and now, he had Watari to add to the list of others that would be avenged with the capture and defeat of Kira. Concluding, L told him, "No... The fewer people who know of this the less of a chance of Kira finding out."

" _I suppose that makes sense,"_ Soichiro conceded though his tone sounded dubious at best.

L cycled through the camera feeds once again and noted that a specific presence was missing. "Mr. Yagami... Where is the Shinigami?"

Soichiro hesitated, not quite wanting to give out information so freely though he was warming to the idea of trusting L. _"The night you and Watari... died,"_ he began, voice unsure of his phrasing, _"Light found a pile of dust. We believe it was the Shinigami's remains since we haven't seen it since then."_

Pressing his thumb against his lower lip, L asked, "Did you find a Death Note in the pile?" The Shinigami's disappearance lined up with his theory about how they weren't supposed to save a person's life, and it seemed that it even killed them when they did so. For L had no doubts that it had been the Shinigami who killed Watari when it realized that they were about to catch Misa Amane, and in turn Light Yagami.

" _No. It most likely disintegrated with the Shinigami,"_ the older man theorized, looking thoughtful.

Possibly... Or possibly Light now possessed another notebook. Since he had been unconscious, there was no way of knowing what Light had done immediately after he was taken to wherever they had taken him. It would make sense that he would want to get his hands on the Notebook before the other officers could. With two – or more, he added in his head – Notebooks in his hands, Light was becoming more and more dangerous. It wouldn't surprise the detective if he soon handed the extra Death Note off to a loyal follower to throw the police off once more. L needed to disprove the thirteen day rule as soon as possible. "I would like to retrieve the Death Note tonight. I understand that you wouldn't be able to bring the entire book without rousing suspicion. However, I ask that you at least bring me a page from it."

" _Will it even work without the whole book?"_

L bit the end of his thumb, considering his words. That was something he was curious to as well, but it seemed he would find out. "It may not, but if that's the case, I'll come up with an excuse for you to use in order to give me the whole book. For now though, I would like to test my theory as soon as possible. Please meet me at the street corner directly south of the precinct."

On the screen, Soichiro's brow furrowed. _"L... I thought you wished to stay in hiding. That street isn't exactly hidden."_

"I know, and I do plan to stay in hiding for the remainder of this case.. However, you would likely refuse to hand over the Death Note, even a piece of it, to a stranger. For this reason, I must come myself," L explained impassively. "Meet me there at 7:43 P.M. sharp."

" _That's a strange meeting time."_

"Which is why I chose it. Most people would not meet at such a random time. Therefore, it is the best time to meet for those who want to prevent others from knowing they are meeting."

" _I see. Very well, I'll bring what you asked for assuming I can do so without making anyone suspicious,"_ Soichiro agreed.

"Thank you, Mr. Yagami," L said. That would be enough for the time being. No matter what it took, L would stop Light. There was no way he was wrong, and though he might have doubted himself for a time, the detective was sure of Kira's identity. The sight of Light's triumphant grin flickered into his mind, and L's hands clenched around his knees. Kira would lose. To the other detective, L continued, "Also, although you likely realize this, I would ask that you tell no one of this."

" _I won't... for now,"_ the detective added with a disapproving look at the camera.

 **~}(7){~**

"As you can imagine, my idea had been correct, and after thirteen days passed, the inmate we had chosen to test the Death Note didn't die like the fake rule claimed he would. However, he was executed shortly thereafter..."

As he spoke, a gust of icy wind whirled around L, tugging at the loose clothing he wore and further disheveling his dark hair. It had been nearly five weeks since he had awakened in that bedroom by himself. For the past few weeks, the skies had been overcast, raining often as well, and today was no exception. Heavy dark clouds blocked out the struggling sun, casting the landscape in a somber gray light. _'Very appropriate,'_ L thought as he glanced across the yard, considering the circumstances of his visit.

"With this new development in the case and the proof to back it up, I was able to arrest Misa Amane under the suspicion of her being the Second Kira, and after a thorough search of her apartment, we found a Death Note hidden in her dresser before Light caught word of what was going on. Of course, she denied any knowledge of this despite the overwhelming evidence to the contrary."

L allowed a bitter smile to twist his features, thinking of the dim-witted blonde woman's behavior. However, he suspected it came off like a grimace. Sighing, he continued the story, "It wasn't long before I was able to beat Light as well... Though it was not entirely a straight forward arrest considering who it was we were dealing with... With Misa in custody and charged with mass-murder, Light knew it was only a matter of time before we could connect him to being Kira. In the end, he made a last-ditch effort to save himself when the police force was closing in on him. Light had hidden a piece of the Death Note in his watch... Before they could subdue him, he wrote one more name, one of the investigator's who was sent to arrest him. Kira's final victim was Soichiro Yagami, his own father."

Curling his toes on top of each other to ward off the chill that hadn't come entirely from the air alone, he said, "Both Light and Misa were sentenced to death on charges of mass murder – to be carried out within one week. Although the time frame was considered too short by many people and there was public backlash because of it, the police hadn't wanted to chance their escape, and I had also urged that the sentence be carried out promptly. Since there was overwhelming evidence to support their guilt and due to the unusual circumstances of the crime, the court ruled in our favor... However, I did speak with Kira before he died..."

 **~}(8){~**

" _Are you certain you want to do this?" Aizawa asked, his arms folded over his chest, a frown spread across his face. "No one would think less of you if you chose not to." He, Matsuda – two of only three of the original task-force that had survived – and L stood in observation, staring through the one way mirror._

 _L remained silent for a moment as he studied the figure slumped in the chair. Even though any scraps of the Death Note had been confiscated, the police had cuffed his hands and feet and placed a blind fold over his eyes just as an extra measure of assurance. They were taking no chances with someone like Light, and Misa had been placed in the same situation. Also, in light of the bruising on his arms and face, they hadn't been too gentle with putting him there. Police weren't fond of cop-killers – especially if they had murdered someone as respected as Chief Yagami – and despite what the public chose to believe, Kira did not only restrict his murders to criminals. Watari was evidence enough of that._

" _I am completely certain," L finally answered, not looking over at Aizawa before he padded over to the door. Sighing softly through his nose, he pushed it open and shoved his hands into his pockets. This would be the first time he had spoken to the other man since he had faked his death, and in all honesty, L could not see it going well. Without speaking, he crossed to the chair in front of Light and climbed onto it, the chair scrapping across the floor and groaning in protest of his weight._

 _A long pause passed before Light said anything. "Well, aren't you going to ask me something? They always do." Light spoke quietly, calmly, his voice carrying a mocking lilt too it. Without any need to hide behind his perfect son persona, the real Light had come out, the Light who had found the Death Note. Silence hung in the room for another long moment.._

" _I admit, I may have considered it," L retorted, just as calm as Light. "However, we both know there is little left to ask, Light."_

 _Light tensed, recognizing the voice at once. "I-impossible," he said, the edges of his calm facade cracking, and L couldn't help the smirk that crossed his face. He was petty enough to admit that it was nice to see Light squirm after everything he had put the detective through._

" _That seems to be the common reaction to my continued existence." L reached out, tugging the blindfold off. There was no way for Light to kill him, even if he did have a piece of the Death Note still hidden on him that he managed to sneak past those on the police force._

" _Why are you alive?" The brunette man questioned, his eyes blinking rapidly at the sudden influx of brightness. After a moment, he focused his gaze on L, and the detective could see the hatred burning there. Though it was something he had known all along, he admitted to himself that it stung to see such an emotion directed at him from someone he considered his friend... Foolish, he knew. When L said nothing, Light continued, "I checked... Your name was in Rem's Death Note..."_

 _When he said this, L's features remained impassive though he did tilt his head to the side thoughtfully. So, the Shinigami had tried to kill him after all. It was hardly surprising, however. The question was why it didn't work.. Perhaps because of the way it had killed Watari first... That was a possible reason; the rules were a little hazy when concerning beings such as the Shinigami, but L had to treat them like any other problem he solved. He believed that they followed a set of rules, evidenced by the Death Note itself, and since it broke the rules, it was possible that it rendered its powers useless._

" _How did you survive?" Light questioned, his eyes searching L's face as though he could find the reason he was still alive when he should have died simply by looking at him._

 _L shrugged. "As it turns out, I'm a pretty lucky person."_

 _Suddenly, understanding entered Light's eyes, and L knew he had figured out what had went wrong. His head dropped, his chin resting on his chest, and a deep laugh bubbled up from him. When he had composed himself, the young man smiled up at L. "Rem didn't have time to finish writing your name... I should have checked into it better than I did, so I suppose that's my own mistake." Here, he sat up straighter and leaned as far forward as his bindings would allow him to. "You know something?" Light questioned, his voice low and a little difficult to make out._

 _Understanding what Light wanted, the detective leaned forward as well so he could hear what he was going to say. "You should be dead, L Lawliet," Light hissed, and there was a triumph in his voice. Hearing his own name, L's eyes widened. "What?" he added, a cruel smirk on his face. "There are only so many surnames that end with Lawlie."_

 _The Shinigami had managed to write that much? It was then that L realized exactly how close he had come to dying along with Watari... Who knew what would've happened if he had died there? And yet... No, he wouldn't think on that anymore. With that much of it revealed, it wasn't exactly surprising Light could figure the rest out on his own. However, it was strange to hear him say it aloud, something L himself had not done in a very long time. "Congratulations, Kira," L told him calmly, sitting back into the seat, showing Light how little it bothered him. "You finally figured out the identity of L... However, I'm afraid it will not help you much at this point."_

" _Perhaps not, but you never know... You finished your original investigation." It was a statement. Not a question._

" _Of course," L said. Even though Light had figured it out already, he wanted to tell him exactly how he beat him. He had always admitted to being childish. "Your murder of Watari and apparent attempted murder of me only confirmed what I already knew."_

" _You must not have cared about him very much – Watari, I mean, considering you didn't even come to his funereal," the young man changed directions suddenly. It was obvious what he was trying to do, a way for him to strike out at L, try to upset him, and despite knowing exactly what the serial killer was doing, part of L still felt the sting of his words._

 _L narrowed his eyes slightly. "Unfortunately, I was dead at the time... Besides, it would not have brought him back."_

 _Light chuckled bitterly. "But, that's not the point,_ Ryuzaki _." He spat the alias. Shaking his head, the brunette continued, "You really think you've won, don't you?"_

" _I have won. You won't kill anyone else, Kira."_

 _Again, he let out a grating laugh, his head thrown back and eyes glinting with a wicked madness that was more sad than unsettling. "Are you so certain? It's too late, Ryuzaki! The whole world knows Kira now._ _It won't end with just me. The people out there know... They know what I do and why I do it, and some of them will carry it on for me. Even if you kill me, they will continue you my work. Divine retribution cannot be stopped._ _You and I both know that I've already left my mark on the world. If you don't believe me, look at the crime rates. Look at how they've_ dropped _. That's what I've done," he told him, a hardness coming to his eyes now. "And that's what you've sentenced me to die for –_ stopping crime _."_

" _There are better ways to stop crime, Light. Murder is never an excuse," L reminded him._

" _And what is the better way?" Light challenged, an eyebrow raised in mockery. His chains rattled as he sat back in his chair with a thump. "What you do? Ha! Is that really the case, Ryuzaki? Think about it. Think about how many people died because you investigated your way. You knew it was me from the very beginning... Think about how many people would have survived if you did things my way, if you had only killed me the moment you knew. Watari died because of your beloved process."_

" _Watari would not have wanted to survive if it meant abandoning justice."_

 _Smiling at him in contempt, Light shook his head slowly. "Justice? You abandoned that a long time ago. If you would defend criminals from facing the punishment they_ deserve _, how can that be justice?"_

" _Killing them is not always the punishment they deserve either. So that is justice?"_

" _Yes! You say they don't deserve it. You believe that a little time in jail will be enough to reform them, but you're wrong," Light accused, venom in his eyes and in his voice. "The moment they find their freedom, they'll commit the same crimes all over again because this world is a filthy, wicked world. And for every criminal you do catch, another ten never get caught._ They _deserved Kira. They have to be stopped, and it's your fault that so many criminals will walk free now, L." The more he spoke, the louder his voice grew, and by the time he finished, he was full on yelling. "You should know better than anyone how many people I saved! It's your fault that so many innocent people suffer!"_

 _As Light spoke, L searched his eyes. Any trace of the man who had become his first friend during the investigation was gone. In its place was... Kira. He had known all along what he would find when he came in here, and yet he still did. What had he been hoping for? Light had always been hiding himself. Even when he had forgotten the Death Note, that was a way of hiding. But there was nothing to hide behind anymore, no reason to do so, and L found himself wondering why he was still there. Any trace of sanity was missing from him now, and there was nothing left for L here._

 _With that in mind, L slowly rose to his feet, taking a step backwards from the seething man, and cast one last glance over his face, knowing it would be the last time he ever saw him face to face._

" _Running away?" Light mocked. "How predictable."_

 _Closing his eyes, L said bleakly, "Goodbye, Light Yagami ... my friend." Without another word, he headed through the door._

 _Just before the door fell shut behind him, L heard Light snap, "Not now, Ryuk... I have things on my mind." That would be the last time he ever heard Light speak._

 **~}(9){~**

"... Regardless, Light's execution proceeded swiftly and without problems to the relief of everyone involved. After everything that's happened, I've decided to retire the namesake 'L.' Not quit investigating, of course, just use my other titles instead. There will never be a greater case for L to solve, and it feels like the right time to let him go. L should die with Watari. The two were a team, after all... As for me... I've been occupying myself with solving cases as usual. Nothing's changed in that respect, and nothing will as you might guess. Compared to the Kira Case, they're hardly a challenge. It almost feels like putting training wheels back on a bike even though I already know how to ride it without them.

"Since the conclusion of the case, I've already solved half as many cases as before." L gave a bitter huff that could have been considered a laugh in a way. "I even dropped my principle of only getting involved after ten murders or if a million dollars is at stake... Kira believed that killing criminals was the only way to stop them... I've made it my goal to prove him otherwise.

"Either way, the _god of death_ has finally been put down," L finished monotonely.

When he said this, he glanced up for the first time since he began telling him what had happened and read the inscription on the tombstone: _Here lies Quillish Wammy, a great man who gave his life in pursuit of justice. What we keep in memory is ours forever._

When he continued, his voice trembled slightly, and the dark-haired man clenched his teeth, biting down on his sorrow. "Your death was not in vain," he promised the tombstone. "This case was only solved because of what you did to save me... It's even your doing that I carried the poison that allowed me to trick Kira. I will never be able to thank you enough for everything you did for me..." Crouching down in front of the grave, L traced the lettering of his name with a single finger. "Thank you, my dear friend. I wish you could've seen this ending.

"It's finally over..."

 **~}(** _To Be Continued_ **){~**

* * *

 _ **A/N: WHEW! So there it is! I can't believe the prologue was that long! However, I can't promise that the other chapters will be a lot shorter. I have a few that are this length, but for the most part, they stick to 6'000 words or so. Anywho, I really hope you enjoyed this. It doesn't have so much to do with the actual story part of it. However, it does set up quite a bit.**_

 _ **Next week is when we get into the actual story, so see you then!**_

 _ **Oh, and please review and let me know what you think and if I need to improve on certain things or so on so forth. Hope you'll continue with the story!**_

 _ **Thanks for reading!**_

 _ **ONWARD!**_

 _ **\- Alyssa**_


	2. Uncovered

_**A/N: Hey there! Welcome back for the first official chapter of this story! I'm so glad those of you who've read it have been enjoying it so far, and I hope you continue to do so. Okay! So, a couple things I forgot to mention in my excitement last week.**_

 _ **First, before anything else, I should mention the main reason I've been so proud of this story. My brother - who is far more genius than I when it comes to storylines and such - has been a huge part of creating this story. He gave me the plot and certain themes among giving me a hand with characterization. So I just wanna give a HUUUUGE Thank you to him for all the work he put into this as well. **_

_**Second, I should probably mention that this story will get a little OC heavy starting in the next chapter. However, the others that we know and love are there too, so I hope you won't be too disappointed by that.**_

 _ **Anywho! Welcome back once again and...**_

 _ **ENJOY!**_

* * *

 **~}(){~**

 **Chapter I: Uncovered**

" _I can't go back to yesterday because I was a different person then." - Alice in Wonderland_

 **~}(1){~**

"We're almost there," Maiko promised, her voice sounding irritatingly loud and upbeat in the quiet dark street as she dragged a reluctant Kameko along with her. After a little more walking, the brunette girl with her hair tied up in a ponytail stopped in front of an alleyway, and Kameko stopped a little ways behind her, glancing around her friend and into the seeping blackness of the alleyway, her stomach giving a little clench at the prospect of actually going in there.

Right then, Kameko really wished she hadn't allowed her friend to talk her into coming. She disliked this part of Tokyo. While the city itself was magnificent – with its towering sky scrapers and bustling streets – the back alleys gave her the creeps. Perhaps, during the day, it was less menacing, but at night, even the shadows looked like they might attack her. And for two young girls like her and Maiko, there was always the worry of who might be _lurking_ in the shadows. However, that wasn't as much of a concern as it had been in the past with the dip that crime had taken about a decade ago. So perhaps that wasn't it... Maybe her anxiety stemmed from _why_ they had come there.

Maiko, her best friend since pre-school, had heard a rumor about a ghost haunting these parts of town and insisted they check it out for no other reason than the sake of doing so. Personally, Kameko thought that her friend just wanted an excuse to get into trouble. Of course, Kameko had hesitated to go from the beginning for a variety of reasons. However, Maiko could be persuasive at times, and she had never really been good at saying no to begin with. Swallowing, she felt a shiver crawl down her spine. Sometimes, Kameko regretted being such a pushover against Maiko.

"Maybe we could come back tomorrow afternoon?" Kameko suggested, hoping against hope.

The brunette girl snorted. "A ghost wouldn't come out during the day."

"Why not?"

Her steps never faltering, she said as if it was the most obvious thing in the world. "I read once that the Spirits attach themselves to the night because that's the time when the barrier between their world and ours is at its weakest." When she said that, Kameko rolled her eyes. She would never understand where her friend got all that rot.

"Well, couldn't we at least use the flashlight we brought?" the shyer girl reasoned, holding up the aforementioned flashlight and flicking it on, illuminating the dank alleyway for a moment. Both winced at the light.

Before either of their eyes could adjust, Maiko quickly snatched it out of her hand and switched it back off. "No way!" she denied shrilly. "If Spirits don't like the day time, what makes you think they would like flashlights? What if it won't come because of it? We're not wasting our own time."

A summery gust of wind drifted through the alley, and though it wasn't exactly cold, the girl shivered. She wouldn't exactly call it a waste of time if they ended up _not_ seeing any ghosts.. Kameko tucked a stray strand of hair behind her ear, her lips pulling into a thin line. "This spirit seems picky if he's bothered by a little light."

"If you were dead, you'd be too," Maiko said, steering them to the left.

Vaguely, Kameko wondered how her friend could see where they were going in that darkness. That night, the moon was only a sliver in the sky, and no light shone in the alley where they were. The glow from the city spilled into the edges of it but failed to truly pierce the darkness, instead casting eerie shadows. To Kameko, the little bit of light there made her feel more paranoid than had they been in total blackness. It distorted her surroundings, making them feel oppressive and menacing, though that could just as well have been her own mind doing the distorting.

When something brushed against her ankle, the shy girl had a moment of panic and legitimately considered bolting back to the safety of the city. Even if it was a part of town she disliked, she disliked this alley even more. However, she squeezed Maiko's hand tightly with hers and clenched her teeth. Breathing deeply, she hoped it was just a rat. Then she realized just how strange that thought was and blew out a shuddering sigh. She needed to distract herself. Talking would help. Maiko was always braver than she was anyways. Maybe some of that courage would rub off on her if they talked a little bit.

"Who is this ghost supposed to be anyways?" Kameko asked, whispering so as not to disturb any ... creatures skulking near by, not wanting another 'rat' to scurry across her feet. As soon as the words came out though, she realized it probably wasn't the best topic to keep her mind off the situation. She'd just blurted the first thought that came to mind. Too late to take the words back now unfortunately. The girl frowned at the thought.

"They say it's Shin Nakamura; he was a total scumbag," Maiko began, her voice carrying that confidence that Kameko had come to rely on. "I heard he killed his wife but was never convicted because the investigators 'mishandled' the evidence," Maiko explained, sarcasm weighing down her tone as though she was certain that wasn't the case. "I think they probably just accepted a bribe to be honest. Anyways though, he had to move to these slums because he ended up spending all his money paying for good lawyers, you see, and everyone hated him because he obviously did it." Here her voice dipped into a deeper range. Her friend was all about dramatics. "However, one fateful day, someone took justice into their own hands..." Maiko trailed off.

"Who?" Kameko asked, squeezing her friend's hand to prompt her to continue the story, and despite herself, the shy girl found herself smiling at her antics. Maiko could be an idiot sometimes, but she wouldn't have her any other way.

"It was none other than-" Maiko paused once more. Kameko rolled her eyes. "-Kira!" Her voiced echoed off the walls, disturbing the once silent night, and the shy girl didn't think she imagined the small scratching noises that came after that of something running away from them.

Even though the other girl couldn't see it, Kameko cocked an eyebrow and ignored the other sounds she'd heard. "Why is he still haunting this place then?"

"Huh?"

"Well," the shy girl began, "Kira was executed over 9 years ago... Wouldn't Shin's death have been avenged or whatever when he died? I mean, why hang around for so long?"

She could practically feel Maiko's frown, and when she spoke, her voice had taken on that huffy quality that told Kameko she was pouting at her refusal to just join in on the fun. "Because he was killed here? I don't know. I'm not exactly an expert in this sort of thing. Maybe he had unfinished business or something." With a melodramatic sigh, Maiko asked snidely, "Do you have to suck the fun out of everything?"

"I wasn't trying to," Kameko said, sheepishly rubbing the back of her neck with her free hand.

Maiko rolled her eyes but shot her a wry grin. "Yeah, I know. It's just in your nature."

Kameko bumped her with a hip, giggling. "Whatever. Unlike some people-" she gave a pointed look to Maiko that once again, she couldn't see. "- I actually _like_ knowing wha-" The girl yelped as she tripped onto something in their path, pulling Maiko down with her.

"What did you do?" the brunette demanded, voice shrill.

"I didn't do anything. _You're_ the one that made us come through this disgusting alley. We must have tripped over a bag of garbage or something," Kameko explained as she pushed herself onto her knees and winced as a dull throb shot through them. She must have bruised them, she thought with a frown.

"Eww... I just dipped my hand in something sticky."

Kameko gagged as she felt a liquid seeping through her stockings, and she tried to force the sensation out of her mind. "I think I'm sitting in it."

"What is _in_ this garbage? This has got to be the most disgusting thing I've ever smelt. It's making me sick." Maiko's voice was all nasally, and Kameko got the mental image of her pinching her nose shut. "Where's my phone? You made me drop it. Help me find it."

"Find it yourself," the normally reserved girl grouched, wiping her now sticky hands on her skirt as Maiko began feeling around for her phone. She was not in the mood to be nice any more. Not only had she not wanted to be out here in the first place, but she was also going to get in trouble for ruining a pair of stockings... Why would someone leave a pile of trash in the middle of an alley? Kameko swore people could be ridiculous at times. Honestly, was it that difficult to use a trash can? This was disgusting.

Maiko's shriek cut through her train of thought. "It's a person!"

"What?" Kameko asked, squinting her eyes to focus on her friend.

Her breathing coming in gasps, Maiko scuttled backwards on her hands. "It's not garbage. It's a person." From where she sat on her knees, Kameko could just make out her friend's form. Pressed against the wall, she looked like a black blob in the darkness. As the alley sank into silence, Maiko's harsh breathing was the only noise Kameko heard.

With trembling hands, Kameko retrieved her flashlight. Could it really be a person? I-it hadn't felt like a person... What if.. Oh God.. Her hands were sticky.. She took a deep breath to calm her racing heart and flicked it on. Momentarily blinded, she blinked until her eyes adjusted to the bright light. She saw red. It covered the pavement, spattered the walls, and stained her arms and legs. Though she couldn't be certain, Kameko thought she screamed. Her mind raced too fast for her to comprehend individual thoughts. However, one kept repeating nonstop:

 _'I'm covered in blood.'_

Suddenly, an odd sort of calm washed over her.. It wasn't something she could explain, but it was almost like she had reached the point where she couldn't be any more scared than she already was so it had just … cut off. There was a body laying right in front of her with bloody stumps for fingertips. From what she could tell, it was a man with graying hair. A few frown lines rested on the corners of his mouth, stretched open in a parody of a yawn. Blankly, Kameko noted that his eyes were probably a striking shade of blue when he was alive. Now, they had dulled to a lifeless gray, staring unseeing at Kameko. Pulling her eyes from his face was more difficult than it should have been, and she grimaced at the sight of the two deep indentations on his chest, prominent despite being concealed by his white dress-shirt. In a detached way, the shy girl wondered if they'd been there before or if ... She swallowed, throat unbearably dry. Kameko knew she needed to look away, but she couldn't convince her body to cooperate.

"My God..." Maiko turned away and wretched. After a long moment, she managed to regain herself a little bit. Wiping a hand over her mouth, the brunette spoke though she kept her back to the gruesome scene. "We- We have to do something. Call somebody."

"The police," Kameko mumbled distractedly, her eyes falling to Maiko's phone wedged under the body. "We need to call the police." It had to be done. There was no other way they could call anyone since Kameko didn't have a phone of her own. Swallowing once more, the shy girl slid the phone out from under the body, tears of sheer horror gathering in her eyes at the sensation of the weight holding it down. Her stomach did a weird flip at the squelching sound it made when she finally pulled the phone free. As she punched in the number, her fingers slipped on the buttons, smearing red on them. There was so much blood.

So much blood.

 **~}(2){~**

Officer Shinichi Yamanasai wrapped his coat a little tighter around himself to ward off the brisk morning air. Overall, the weather was not that bad today, but the call they had received a few hours back had sent a chill through all of them. A case like this hadn't come up in a while. After nodding to the officer on guard near the edge of the alley and exchanging habitual pleasantries, he ducked under the yellow tape blocking off the area. Few reporters had arrived so far, but he knew more would come as the day wore on. They always did, and with a story like this, the force would be hard pressed to keep them at bay.

As he headed for the scene of the crime, the metallic odor of blood hit him before he even turned the last corner, and Shinichi resisted the urge to clap a hand over his nose. Although he had been on the force for a few years now, he had never managed to get used to that scent, and thankfully, with the low crime rates Japan had been enjoying for so long now, he didn't have to deal with it very often. He turned the last corner just in time to see a tall woman in sanitation gear zipping up the body bag. Behind her, Shinichi spied several blood smears on the wall and a sizable puddle on the ground, which another officer was photographing.

Seeing him approach, the woman waved and offered him a smile in way of greeting. "What have you got so far?" he asked once he was close enough.

"Not much, this time," the woman, Hatsumi Hamasaki, said. Hamasaki was a brilliant woman, he knew if a bit off at times. From what she had told him, she'd managed to get top marks in her university when she had been studying for her degree. Her mouth pulled into a grim line as she rifled through a set of papers. Setting most of them aside and handing him the ones remaining, she reopened the body-bag. "The victim's lungs were punctured with a long needle-like instrument, filling them with blood, so the official cause of death is asphyxiation," the dark-haired woman explained, gesturing to part of the hand-written report she'd handed him a moment ago.

Then, she picked up one of the victim's arms by the wrist and showed him the ends of his fingers, which had been removed. "That was done postmordim. Same as this," Hatsumi explained, pulling back the corpse's lips to reveal a lack of teeth.

Shinichi glanced around the alley with a look of disgust on his face. "I suppose that accounts for this mess."

"Nope," she told him, her voice a little too chipper for the topic of discussion, and he knew that she was actively fighting back a smile. "Most – if not all – of that can be blamed on the two that found the body. They literally stumbled onto the body." Shinichi eyed her warily as she snickered to herself over the joke, and he realized that she'd likely been planning that line all morning just waiting for someone to ask her. When she noticed his expression, she coughed. "Poor things... _Moving_ _on_ , in his state, his lungs burst from the force of the impact, thus explaining the alley's new paint-job."

"Have we I.D-ed the victim yet?" Shinichi folded his arms over his chest, leaning over him to get a better look at his face.

Her expression hardened, and she frowned, becoming more serious than she had been so far. And he knew that even if she joked more than she should've in such a situation, she really did consider this important and was upset when things didn't turn out like they should. "No, and we won't be getting one anytime soon." Shinichi gestured for her to elaborate, and she rolled her eyes. "Without fingertips or teeth, we have nothing to go on," the woman told him as though it should have been obvious, and he realized that maybe it should have been all things considered.

Rubbing the back of his neck, he asked, "No identification on him?"

She shook her head. "Whoever did this was thorough. They even cut out the clothing tags."

Nodding at her words, Shinichi stepped over and examined the body's hands. In most cases, when a criminal removed body parts, they hacked up the body, leaving rough chunks behind as a result. However, the cuts were smooth on this victim, surgical in their precision. Meaning whoever killed this man knew what they were doing. Carefully opening the corpse's mouth to confirm his theory, he noted that the teeth had been extracted with no damage to the gums. That would take time. It wasn't something a person could do in five minutes... Was this a planned murder? It felt like one to the detective...

"Do we know if anything was taken – aside from the obvious, I mean?"

"Like I said, the tags on his jacket, pants, and shirt. They took any credit cards and his license if he had one, but they left the wallet," Hamasaki told him with a shrug.

"Not a robbery then?" Shinichi remarked more to himself than her.

"Obviously not, considering they left the money," the woman answered anyways, shifting her weight onto one foot and planting a hand on her hip, having removed her gloves already.

Shinichi nodded to her. "Thank you, Mrs. Hamasaki."

"Not a problem, kid," she told him with a grin.

Honestly, he liked Hatsumi Hamasaki. She was strange, blunt, and carried a warped sense of humor – though he suspected that was a common trait with anyone who dealt with corpses on a regular basis – but you could count on an honest, if sardonic, opinion from her. And that in and of itself was a rare thing these days. She'd worked there long before he joined the force six years ago. Back then, she worked pretty much around the clock, same as him, so they had worked on quite a few cases together in that time. She was good at what she did, and despite her overwhelming personality, Hamasaki made a good friend and could always be counted on to back you up if she liked you. However, when she had her second kid a few years back, she cut down her hours to the bare minimum, wanting to focus more on her family, so he rarely saw her anymore – though he did run into her younger sister on occasion, who worked as a detective same as him.

Stepping around the body after Hamasaki zipped it back up, Shinichi looked over the blood-covered alley and headed over to the other officer who was finishing up on photographing the crime scene. There was a lot that had needed to be captured with the way the carnage was so spread out.

"Officer Matsuda," Shinichi said, raising a hand in greeting as the other man turned to him, fiddling with a few pieces of his camera, "find anything interesting?"

Taking a moment to switch off the device in his hands, Matsuda shook his head with a huff of frustration. "I photographed of all the blood smears, but I guarantee most of them were caused by the two girls that found this place, so I doubt they'll be of any use." Briefly, they lapsed into silence, and Shinichi found himself glancing around the alley once more. "Speaking of those two," Matsuda began, drawing his attention once more, "have you spoken with them yet?"

"No, I just got here," the younger officer admitted with a shake of his head. "How are they doing?"

"This whole mess shook them up pretty bad," he said.

Shinichi nodded. "I bet so ... I heard they fell on the body, or at least that's the rumor going around the station at the moment." To be honest, none of them had really known the details. All they had heard was that two girls had stumbled onto a gruesome crime scene, the body all messed up.

"Yeah," Matsuda agreed, and his mouth twitched in disdain, his nose wrinkling at the thought. "Apparently, they'd heard that there was a ghost around here and wanted to find it, you know, kids stuff." Here, the dark-haired man sighed and glanced over at the body bag where Hamasaki was still writing on a notebook. "Instead, they found him." He paused for a moment. "Or at least that's what they said," he added.

Shinichi frowned at the possible insinuation. "It's as good an explanation as any. I mean, it's not like they killed the guy," he defended, nodding to the corpse. "He's been dead for a few days at least if the rate of decay is anything to go by... Not to mention, the girls are only fourteen or so. You don't really think they could've done it, do you?" He had seen them before he had made his way out here. From the redness of their eyes, it was clear they had been crying, and the two had looked absolutely petrified. There was no way they could've been involved. They looked like normal, teenage girls.

"You're probably right," Matsuda told him with a shrug, raising his hands in a surrendering gesture. "But then, I stopped making assumptions by appearance a long time ago," he explained, eyes fixed on some point in the distance. "You should probably do the same."

Realizing that he had stumbled into a touchy subject, he nodded. "I'll keep that in mind..." Hastily changing the subject, Shinichi asked, "Can you believe the way the killer maimed the body?" Matsuda glanced over at the body bag. "Missing fingers and teeth – it seems like a lot of trouble to go through to keep someone's identity a secret."

"Maybe, but it sure is effective. Could be, the victim got in a few scratches – he looks like a fighter. So, the killer wanted to be sure we couldn't get his DNA... Though that doesn't explain the teeth." Matsuda frowned.

"Perhaps he was just trying to throw us off the trail?" Shinichi thought about the victim. He did look like he could put up a fight. Even though he had to be in his late-forties, he was sturdy and made Shinichi think he'd do well at boxing. However, the young officer didn't recall seeing any bruising on the body, or signs of a struggle at all come to think of it. So, it was unlikely that he'd fought his killer. _'Odd,'_ Shinichi thought... He shook his head at Matsuda. "Clearly, the killer's trying to prevent us from identifying the body for as long as possible. He doesn't want us to figure out who this is, so it's likely he knows the victim and wants to keep us from progressing. In other words, he's trying to cover his ass," he concluded, glancing over at the other man for confirmation.

Matsuda nodded. "Well, he did a good job for the time being... Still, those cuts were precise, clean."

"I'd be willing to bet he's a surgeon or someone who works closely with human anatomy. It's strange that he also cut off the clothing tags though. Most people wouldn't think of that as a means of identifying a body," Shinichi remarked.

"It does make you wonder what he did with them."

"With the tags?"

"No, well, I guess to an extent." Matsuda caught his eye. "I was talking about the fingers and teeth. They're not exactly easy to get rid of."

Shinichi tilted his head, brow furrowed. "You think he kept them?"

"He's obviously not sane, so I wouldn't put it past him. It wouldn't be the first time it's happened either." After a moment, he shook his head. "I guess what I'm actually saying is that I wonder if he ditched them anywhere near by... From the thoroughness here, I doubt it, but it's definitely worth keeping an eye out for. If we find them, that's our key to figuring out who did this and why."

"I guess..." Shinichi trailed off, unsure and a little queasy at the thought.

"So, any ideas on who he is?" Matsuda asked, referring to the victim.

"None yet," Shinichi admitted. "But, we'll figure it out soon. There _has_ to be something that'll help us find out what happened here. There's always something." Matsuda huffed a little laugh, a wan smile pulling at the corner of his mouth. "What is it?" Shinichi asked, frowning. Had he said something funny?

Matsuda waved him off dismissively. "It's nothing. You just reminded me of myself just then."

"Oh," he said, still unsure whether he should be offended or not. Shrugging it off for the time being, he said, "I'm here to tag the evidence, so I need to go get everything from the car. I just wanted to check things out first," the police officer explained, turning from the gruesome spectacle after Matsuda gave an understanding hum and heading away from the crime scene.

Although murders still happened in Tokyo – in a heavily populated region it was ridiculous to expect otherwise – usually they were crimes committed in the heat of the moment: angry husbands killing cheating wives, business deals gone wrong, drug addicts attempting robbery. Most of the time, they weren't too difficult to solve. It was all emotionally invested crimes these days. Crime had taken a dramatic dip a decade ago due to Kira. Even though his methods were detestable, it had actually been working regardless of how many would deny that. Before Kira's execution, the world had been changing, and now... Well, anyone could see the scar he had left on Japan, the world even. It was ridiculous to even try and deny the change that had taken place. Records couldn't be ignored after all. And because of Kira, they rarely saw planned murders any more. In the first few years after the mass murderer's death, crimes more serious than jay-walking and petty theft had remained stagnant. Only recently had greater crime cases began to rise.

However, something felt different about this new case. It made Shinichi want to watch over his shoulder. Something told him that, despite the hopes he had expressed to Matsuda, this case wouldn't go as smoothly as they wanted it to. Then again, maybe Shinichi was just getting paranoid after enjoying such a relaxed crime rate for so long.

He hoped that's all it was. And yet, he couldn't convince himself to believe it.

 **~}(3){~**

Chief Shuichi Aizawa pinched the bridge of his nose, trying to ward off an oncoming headache for the third time that day alone. He had always been an easily frustrated man – even before his promotion to police chief. When a case stumped him, he was irritable and, at times, down-right grouchy even outside of work. Or so his wife Eriko told him. It was even worse if he was working on a case and his co-workers refused to take it as seriously as he was.

After becoming chief though ... Although he liked to believe he had mellowed in some areas, gained an understanding of people that he hadn't had before, the sheer amount of frustrations he had to deal with on a daily basis had compounded. Now, it wasn't just when he was stuck on a case. When – not if, when – _his_ officers messed up or failed to solve a case, it cast the entire department in a negative light, and that was something that had to be avoided. Especially after all the bad press they had received over the Kira incident... It had been difficult to get used to the role of Police Chief when every move you made was scrutinized and picked apart, but he could deal with that..

The public, however, was another story entirely.

At times, Aizawa wondered how anyone could ever put up with all the bureaucratic nonsense. It was like dealing with a bunch of children. None of them knew what they actually needed, but _all_ of them shouted for the things they wanted. And if Aizawa failed to deliver those things to them, they were very vocal about reminding him. Sometimes, he thought that everyone had forgotten what the police department was actually there for... All Aizawa wanted was to put away criminals and, at the risk of sounding cliche, make the world a better place. He had never expected to make Chief. Of course, it was always a hope. However, it had been more of a laughable passing thought than an actual possibility. Yet, here he was, and occasionally, he still wondered whether that was a good thing or not.

Running a weary hand over his face, he snatched the newspaper off his desk. The headline read: "The Surgeon Still Proves to Be Illusive." The Surgeon... That was what the press had taken to calling him – using him for simplicity sake as they had yet to determine the gender of this killer. The reasoning there was that, whoever the killer was, he used a very clinical approach to killing his victims, severing the fingers and pulling teeth with a morbid precision before ending their life with a single puncture to the lungs. Then there was the idea that he likely 'put his victims under' with some sort of 'anesthesia.' So, Aizawa supposed he could see why the name had taken off.

Two months had passed since the first murder, and since then, the police department had discovered another three bodies, all with the fingertips, teeth and any identifying marks removed. All unidentifiable. All within a months time of each other. They definitely had a serial killer on their hands, and now, he needed to do something about it before things got worse than they already were. At the site of the third body, they had thought they'd picked up a lead, a trail to follow in the form of a note with several addresses scribbled on it. However, the addresses had only led them to the fourth body. More stupefying than that, the coroner's examination revealed that the fourth victim found had been murdered before the third, meaning that the killer wanted them to find his work... Yet why was he so intent on hiding the identities then? Regardless, after that, the trail went cold. They had tried matching the victims' faces to anyone in the system, but no matches showed, and the force was left back where it started with this case.

They couldn't even form a link between the victims physically. When the first three bodies that showed up were male, they had assumed that was the common trait, and even though that was a pretty wide scope, it was at least a starting point. Then that theory was dashed by the discovery of the fourth, technically third, victim – a woman. At the moment, they had yet to find a factor that presented itself in all four victims. These murders... they were calculated, cold, clever, and completely mind boggling.

So far, dozens had called claiming to know one or all of the victims. A few had even called to confess to being the killer. Again, nothing had panned out. With no evidence and no place to start, what could they do?

Now though, the press was getting antsy.

Of course, he'd instructed his officers to keep things quiet. Aizawa reasoned that anyone who used such an elaborate method to kill people were aiming to gain the spotlight, and if the press sank their teeth into it, He knew it would take center stage. Kira had done it previously, and after his execution, there had been a series of riots. Years later, the department still received calls on occasion to break up meetings of his followers. They never arrested anyone, considering they weren't technically breaking the law. However, everyone agreed that it was best to prevent anything before it might happen. The last thing they needed was a bunch of psychos going on a murderous rampage. However, now he was off topic. The point was that Aizawa was hoping to avoid another spectacle like that.

Since they couldn't make any connections between the victims, the press hinted in their papers that the entire public was at risk and that the killer was just murdering targets at random, and finally, how the Police was getting no where in their investigation and perhaps Kira would have been able to stop such a monster. That helped smooth things along. Civilians never reacted rationally when told they were at risk. Every time the majority of them – Aizawa supposed a few level-headed people beside himself had to be roaming around the city – responded with mounting anger and panic, and every time, they looked to the department for answers. Answers he couldn't give at the moment.

It wasn't good for anyone.

Earlier that day, Aizawa had finally broken down and organized a press conference. It went as well as it would expect considering he didn't have anything to tell them. Yes, anyone in the public could potentially be targeted – though it was unlikely given the nature of these killings. No, they didn't have any suspects or leads for the moment but they were working tirelessly to find some as soon as possible. In the end, he had fed them a few bullshit lines that should've been common sense anyways. Stay indoors at night. Don't go through back alleys alone. Try to contact someone close to you if you must go off by yourself. Be wary of strangers. Really, it was text book stuff. He had wrapped it all up by reiterating that the department wouldn't rest until the case was solved and that they _would_ solve it... Or something equally flowery. Aizawa had never been good at waxing poetic.

Needless to say, no one had really walked away from that press conference feeling satisfied.

The reporters hadn't bothered to contradict his closing statements this time, but how many more people had to die before they started blaming the department – before the public lost faith in them again... It had happened before, and he knew that, given time, it would happen again. Aizawa clenched his hand. The force was supposed to protect the people. Hell, Aizawa _wanted_ to protect the people. That this murderer could just wander around the city as a free man and do whatever he wanted was like a slap in the face. Not to mention the sting of being unable to find out who these victims were.

You couldn't save a murder victim. However, there were two things you _could_ do for them. First, you could catch their killer. Put them away. Stop it from happening to anyone else. Second, you could learn their story and let them rest in peace, give their loved ones a chance to mourn... It was a sign of respect, and everyone deserved at least that. Without a name, though, it was hard to do either. This was getting out of hand, the dark-haired man knew.

From what he could see, there was only one viable option at this point. It was time to compile a team to put on the case. Now, the question was who. Who would be the best and how many officers should he spare for it? In Aizawa's mind, it was best to find a small group of dedicated and skilled individuals rather than use the entire department. In fact, unless it was a crisis, it seemed downright idiotic to focus all of his men on one case. It wasn't like the other criminals had politely stepped back when these murders started. No, they still had other cases cropping up even if they weren't quite as pressing as this new one. Aizawa needed officers to deal with the rest of the city's problems, and as much as he might want to work this case himself, the Police Chief needed to handle other matters.

Huffing a sigh, he paged his secretary. With the immediacy for which he had hired her, the short dark haired woman hurried through the door. Dropping the newspaper on the desk, he said, "Akuda, bring Matsuda to my office, please. I need to speak with him." With a few words of agreement, his secretary bowed her head and strode out of the room, headed for her desk with quick purposeful steps.

When she had gone, Aizawa leaned back in his chair, letting his eyes drift shut for a moment, his exhaustion from dealing with this whole mess catching up to him. The Matsuda that Aizawa had first met years ago would not have been suited for the task of leading an investigation squad. However, that was years ago, and so much had changed since then. During their time together on the force, Matsuda had matured into a competent officer – one of the department's top now, if not the actual top. And yet he had somehow managed to keep the determination and temperament that made him Matsuda, the police chief thought with a wry smirk of amusement. Occasionally, Aizawa would see a flash of the young, bright eyed detective who was still new to the force, but now he was a seasoned officer. And those flashes were little more than echoes of memories.

Matsuda had grown into a veteran of the police, and Aizawa couldn't think of a more fitting person to lead the case.

The sound of the door opening brought him out of his reverie, and he leaned forward on to his elbows, resting his chin on his clasped hands. Flashing him an unapologetic grin and asking, "What did I do this time?" Matsuda strolled into the room, closing the door behind him with a thump, and dropped into the chair across from him. He relaxed into the chair, arms folded behind his head. Aizawa bit back a grin. Matsuda was the same as he'd always been.

Unable to keep the laughter out of his voice, Aizawa raised a hand haltingly. "No, you're not in trouble or anything."

Matsuda waved him off. "Alright then.. What _is_ going on?"

"I'm assigning the 'Surgeon' cases to you," he revealed without preamble.

The dark-haired man nodded, more serious now than when he had first entered though Aizawa could tell that he was excited about being in charge of such a high-profile case. Matsuda placed his hands on his knees, leaning forward. "Alright. Where do you want me to start?"

Aizawa sighed through his nose as he considered the question. "First, you'll need a team. Pick two or three from the department." He paused a moment to think. "Use your own judgment, you can have whoever you need."

"Thank you." Matsuda nodded. Then after a pause, he said, "You look anxious about this, Aizawa... I can handle this. It's not the first time I've led a team, you know."

"Of course I know that, and that's not what's worrying me." Pressing his mouth into a thin line, he glanced down at the newspaper once again, rereading the title in his mind. "I wouldn't have picked you if I didn't think you were right for the job. The _press_ is what worries me. You know as well as I do that they're watching this case like a bunch of vultures." Frowning, he added, "They're going to do everything they can to hinder this case, whether they realize they're doing it or not."

"Press is the last thing this case needs," his friend agreed, taking the newspaper from the desk and skimming over it, his eyes darkening as he read. " _But_ ," he continued, glancing back up to meet Aizawa's eyes, "We've dealt with them before, and we'll deal with them again... The only reason this case is getting so much coverage is because it's the first serial killing they've seen in nearly a decade."

Aizawa nodded. "Has it really been that long?" He trailed off.

"Since the Kira case." Matsuda replied bitterly, and they lapsed into a short silence at the return of unpleasant memories. "Sometimes, it feels like none of that actually happened. Almost like it was from some horror story. You have to admit we dealt with some pretty unbelievable things."

"You mean the Shinigami?"

Matsuda snorted. "Those too, but I was actually referring to L," he clarified.

"I guess I have to give you that one," Aizawa conceded. "He was completely different from what any of us were expecting."

"Looking back, I'm not sure what we _had_ been expecting. Someone that intelligent... There's no way he could've been normal let alone from the same planet as us." The two fell into an easy silence this time, and though there had been far more bad than good, Aizawa knew that he was glad there was someone like L out in the world – even if they had ended up disagreeing on just about everything. "I wonder where he is now."

"I've gotta believe he's still solving crimes, somewhere. There's no way he could stop working. I haven't heard anything from or about him since he disappeared after the case," Aizawa told him, shrugging one shoulder.

Matsuda's brow furrowed. "I guess the name had too much baggage for him."

Aizawa nodded. "That, and all things considered, the public would panic if they heard about L involving himself in another case. His name would speak volumes about the severity of the it after someone like him worked in the Kira Case."

"Fair enough."

"You know, my oldest just wrote a school report on him." A proud smile lit up Aizawa's face.

"Really?" Matsuda asked and smiled, inviting him to continue.

"Yeah, _you've_ been spending too much time around her, filling her head with stories about him," he accused, shaking his head. "Anyways, she asked me a bunch of questions about him. I told her what I could without giving anything away. Now, she tells me _she_ wants to be a detective." He directed a pointed look at Matsuda. "I hope you intend to explain to her that it's not all shootouts and eccentric geniuses."

Matsuda shrugged. "Like father, like daughter." Then he grinned again. "What can I say? Kid's got a knack for convincing me to talk about it."

Returning to their previous topic with a roll of his eyes, Aizawa shook his head. After another moment, his expression sobered, and he remarked, "Everything's so different from back then."

"There's only a handful of us left who worked at the department before it all happened," Matsuda agreed.

Aizawa snorted. "We're the dinosaurs of the department at this point." The two fell into a comfortable silence, both lost to their own thoughts.

Was there anything else?" Matsuda finally asked.

Aizawa shook his head, watching as Matsuda stood and turned to the door. "Actually... Matsuda?" He waited for his friend to turn around, "Be careful."

Matsuda nodded. "I'll stop this bastard."

 **~}(** _To Be Continued_ **){~**

* * *

 _ **A/N: Alrighty! And there you have it! Now, we've finally set up the actual storyline for this fic. I'd love to hear any thoughts you have on what might go on if any.**_

 _ **I wanna also give a MAJOR thanks to everyone who reviewed/favorited/followed this story so far. It's a huge inspiration, and I'm really thankful you have all been enjoying it.**_

 _ **See you next week!**_

 _ **ONWARD!**_

 _ **-Alyssa**_


	3. Ren

_**A/N: Alright! Chapter 2 is here. And we finally get to meet our main OC. I'm flattered by all the reviews you guys have given me, so thank you for that! Another long chapter, but the next one is shorter. So it'll even out a bit.**_

 _ **ENJOY!**_

* * *

 **~}(){~**

 **Chapter II: Ren**

" _Sweet Dreams are made of this._

 _Who am I to disagree?_

 _I travel the world and the seven seas._

 _Everybody's looking for something._

 _Some of them want to use you._

 _Some of them want to get used by you._

 _Some of them want to abuse you._

 _Some of them want to be abused." - "Sweet Dreams Are Made of This" Eurythmics_

 **~}(1){~**

Blowing out a steady breath, Ren Gushike squeezed off the last three shots in her clip. Acrid gun-smoke pervaded the air. Even with sound-dampening head phones, the harsh blasts rang in her ears. However, it didn't bother her; she was used to it. In fact, it was rather comforting to her by now as it should have been, considering she spent several hours there every week.

Finished with the set, she dumped the empty cartridge and placed her pistol on the counter and flipped the switch that returned the target to her stall with a whir. On this type of target, a standard issue black silhouette, there were two bullseyes – one near the heart and one on the head, and the score lowered outward from those two points. She ran her hands appraisingly over the target, her fingers touching on each hole as she mouthed the numbers to herself. Hand dropping to her side, Ren's mouth pressed into a dissatisfied line. Although normally she did pretty well when it came to her weapon, the dark-haired woman just wasn't able to pull it together enough tonight. It was only making her more frustrated, which, in turn, was only making her aim that much worse.

She was a detective for goodness' sake. She could do better than that. The force dealt with dangerous criminals every day. What happened if she was on the job when someone needed help? Or what if they just wanted to subdue a criminal? While she had been going for kill shots on the target, her failure to make them every time meant her aim was off, and even if it was only a few inches, the short distance could be the difference between subduing someone and killing them. An inept gun man – or woman as the case was – would be useless.

Frustrated, she ripped the used target down, balling it up and tossing it towards the trash can. Embarrassingly enough, it missed entirely, bouncing off the wall and falling to the floor. Pressing her palms against her eyes, she marched over and retrieved it, and maybe she used more force than necessary when disposing of it – properly this time. But, at least it made her feel better.

When she looked back at her gun, her thoughts returned to her score. Perhaps she needed to practice more? Ren frowned. Seeing as she practiced more than anyone else on the force, she doubted it. The dark-haired woman shook her head. _'Stop. You're tired. Just stop... Work harder next time, but for now, just ignore it.'_ Proficiently holstering her weapon, she cast sharp gray eyes around the shooting range. At the moment, she was alone it seemed, so the others must have gone home already. A quick check of her phone told her it was nearly nine at night, which explained the solitude.

Ren cursed under her breath. She had planned to be back at her apartment by now. Rolling her eyes at herself, she snorted. It wasn't like she had anyone waiting up on her at home anyways. She was a big girl now and had lived by herself almost since she started college. And she _liked_ it that way. After growing up in her family, it was nice to be alone most of the time even if she did love her siblings more than anything... However, she _did_ have a lot of paperwork due by tomorrow. She would need to brew an extra pot of coffee in the morning – especially since she had volunteered to pull a double shift the next day.

For the past eleven years, Ren had worked for the Kanto Region police force. Becoming an officer at the tender age of twenty-two was her proudest accomplishment in her own opinion. It hadn't been easy by any means, but over the years, she had struggled her way through the ranks and became the woman she was today, a detective finally... So far, it had been worth it, worth all that work. Ren did a pretty decent job, at least that's what she was told. However, she craved improvement. She wanted to be the best; she always had, and she knew, she _knew_ it could be available to her _._ All she needed was to find an opportunity and to work harder at bettering herself.

Somehow...

She _would_ find a way. Improvement came from hard work and time, so her father had always told her when she was growing up. While Ren was willing to put in the effort, the time part frustrated her to no end. The detective wanted to fix so much about herself – though, at times, Ren doubted she would ever meet her own standards. Either way, she would strive for perfection like so many others had done before her.

Stepping out of the department's firing range, Ren returned the head phones and glasses to the front desk, stepping behind the counter to place them in the proper spots. Afterwards, she wound her way through the different hallways that snaked through the station, saying a few brief goodbyes to the officers working on the night shift, and finally, Ren Gushike stepped out into the crisp night air, zipping up her jacket to stay warm in the cool night air. Luckily, her apartment wasn't too far from the station, so she briskly set out towards her building, mind wandering towards the paperwork waiting for her at home.

It was for a drugs bust she had made last week. Ren had been putting it off because she was busy working on a double homicide case this week. Frankly, she felt that was far more important than filling out a stack of papers. A group of teen had been boozing and doing drugs when two men had started an argument that ended in them stabbing each other. Then, another girl had stepped in to try and calm them down before being stabbed herself. The girl and one of the men had died, and the remaining participant had been sent to the hospital. While solving the case itself hadn't taken too long since anyone who visited the crime scene could see what happened was fairly obvious, getting the witnesses' statements to corroborate with her theory was hell. The youths were reluctant to talk since they had been high out of their minds at the time, and only agreed to disclose the truth after she had assured them they wouldn't be arrested. Even then, it had taken far longer than it should have. However, after five long days, Ren had finally wrapped up the case just this afternoon ... leaving her with _two_ mountains of paperwork.

 _'Great.'_

Exasperated, Ren ran a hand through her short, dark-colored hair. It was going to be a long night.

Despite her dislike for paperwork, Ren couldn't complain too much. She worked for a big city's police department – one of the biggest in the world. Ever since her older sister had started her position helping the department with the forensics side of matters, Ren had wanted to be a detective. She had only been fifteen at the time. Although her mother had not been happy at the prospect, thinking about how dangerous it would be, Ren's father had never been more proud of his middle daughter. Her dad had pushed her and her siblings to be the best they could be, so the idea of Ren using those skills to help the innocent had deeply appealed to the old man.

Ren only hoped he would've been proud of her now.

After another few minutes of walking, she reached her apartment building. The tall, brick monstrosity loomed over her... Well, perhaps calling it a monstrosity was a little harsh. For the most part, the building complex was average. Far from luxurious, it had simple brick walls with a few shrubs lining the front that looked like they had seen better days though she knew the staff did try to keep them in good condition as much as possible. The front apartments gave their owners a fairly decent view of the city, especially on the higher floors. However, Ren didn't live in one of those. Her apartment was on the seventh story and overlooked the rear parking lot. Not exactly glamorous, but she did appreciate the twenty-four hour access to a fire escape. It came in handy more often than most would've thought, and it was sort of like having a balcony.

Shaking off the thoughts, Ren hurried through the front door, reveling in the heated lobby. She nodded and half-smiled at one of her neighbors who had come to retrieve her mail and was now giving Ren a curious look, which the woman pointedly ignored, tapping her foot impatiently while waiting for the elevator to arrive. She breathed a sigh of relief when the doors shut behind her.

Partly due to her chosen profession and partly due to her preference for solitude, her neighbors always gave her strange looks. A lot of the tenants in this building came from an older generation with a more fixed set of traditions, and most couldn't understand how Ren, a woman in her thirties, could be alone so far into her life and with no prospects of changing that status – or any desire to do so – in the foreseeable future. Now, they weren't being mean or even rude actually. Ren knew it was simple curiosity on their part. That didn't mean it didn't make her feel uncomfortable though.

Honestly, even if she was a quiet person, she wasn't exactly secretive, and she would've answered any questions they had if they asked. Apparently though, they were waiting for her to make the first move because no one ever asked, and she wouldn't be the one to offer it up unprompted. Maybe she just wasn't very approachable? Or maybe it was because _she_ didn't like approaching people. Outside of work, Ren rarely spoke to strangers, which didn't bother her. In fact, she knew the reason she didn't have a lot of friends was likely her own doing. The dark-haired woman contented herself with the people she already had in her life, and that was enough for her.

The elevator dinged, and the doors slid open. Stretching her arms out for a moment, Ren marched down the hall and unlocked her door with a jingle of her keys. Silence greeted her in the apartment, and after slipping off her shoes, she tossed her work bag off to the right unceremoniously as she wandered through the apartment, turning on lights as she went.

Ren had rented this apartment for the past six years. However, no one would have been able to guess going on appearance alone. The dull grayish walls sported few decorations – a diploma from college, a picture of her family from before her father got cancer, and two "hotel art" paintings, as her sister had dubbed them, that had come with the place. The main room served as a kitchen, an entryway, and a living room. In the living room section, was a single tan couch with a TV tray sitting in front of it, both facing an outdated box-TV. The only times it really saw use was when Ren ate dinner – if she was home – and occasionally in the morning during breakfast, and a layer of dust had settled across the top. If she had been a burglar, Ren might have just left at the apparent lack of valuables to even steal.

Ren knew she needed to redecorate. However, she simply didn't have the time – or the extra income for that matter. At least the woman could comfort herself in the knowledge that having much more furniture than she already had would only make the already small space feel smaller.

Yawning a bit, the day's work catching up to her even this early in the night, the detective woman made her way to the kitchen and began brewing a pot of tea when she remembered that she was out of coffee, and she wrote a little note to herself to remind her to pick more up at the store. While her drink steeped, Ren wandered into her bedroom and changed out of the simple black pants she wore to work everyday and into a pair of gray sweats. She had to work, and this had become her home office uniform.

Leaving briefly to retrieve her steaming beverage, Ren finally settled down at her desk – a simple reed-wood one that housed a computer, a cup filled with various pens and pencils, and a picture of her and her two sisters – kept in her bedroom, and let out a sigh as she cracked her knuckles, preparing to get down to business before it got too late. By then, it was just after ten...

 _'A long night indeed,'_ thought Ren with a frown as she rifled through her stacks of paperwork.

 **~}(2){~**

For the detective woman, morning came far too quickly, and Ren grumbled excuses and threats into her pillow as her alarm clock blared one of Hideki Ryuuga's old hits. When that didn't do any good, the woman rolled onto her back and began the process of convincing herself to wake up. Through crusty eyelids, she managed to just make out 6:15 A.M., the sight only undoing any progress she had made. Slamming a pillow over her face, she attempted to block out the offending noise. Although it wasn't a bad song – in fact, she had always liked most of his work when he had been so popular; what teenage girl hadn't then? - it was too early for such an upbeat song.

It was too early for anything.

She hadn't gone to sleep until at least three last night – a bad idea on her part, yet one she seemed to make more and more often the longer she worked. Running a hand over her face, Ren conceded that she had at least finished both sets of paperwork. The Chief would be happy at least – quite a feat if you knew him that well.

Since it wasn't doing much to muffle the alarm anyway, Ren launched her pillow away from her and towards the wall where it thudded lamely and slid to the floor. Rolling onto her stomach, she swung an arm towards the source of the disturbance and, after a few attempts, managed to slap the off button. She hated mornings. She always had, and nothing was going to change that any time soon.

Growing up, she had lived in a house full of early-risers, and they were never quiet or considerate of other sleeping people. A few times when she was moving out, Ren told them – only half-joking – it was solely because she couldn't stand being around such sunshiny people that early in the morning. When she thought about it now though, Ren found that she actually missed being there with all of them. Family had always been important to her even if she did enjoy her solitude, and part of her really wanted those times back. Not to mention, on mornings like this, the dark-haired woman realized how much better her sisters were at being an alarm clocks. Somehow, it was a lot easier to wake up when someone was stomping around your room mangling an American rock song they had only partly memorized.

Not allowing herself to wallow in pity for her sleep cycle anymore, Ren forced herself to sit up, kicking the blankets to the foot of the bed to prevent any ideas about going back to sleep from popping into her head.

Yawning, Ren crawled out of bed and went to the restroom. As she was washing her hands, her reflection caught her eye, and she winced. _'That's a problem.'_ Her short, choppy hair stuck out at odd angles, some defying gravity, and since she had forgone a shower in favor of sleep last night, she had dried mascara caked to her skin and eyeliner smeared her face. Grey, bloodshot eyes blink at her dully. So, it was gonna be one of _those_ days.

In hopes of retaining some pride in her appearance, she took a quick shower before reapplying her make up and brushing her teeth. Once she was dressed, it was only 6:52, meaning she had time for breakfast. Good thing too. She would need all the energy she could get. Eagerly, she jerked the door to her fridge open to find ... nothing aside from a half-eaten take out box of stir fry and some molding strawberries. Wrinkling her nose, she tossed the strawberries in the trash and prodded at the take-out container... When was the last time she went to the grocery store? Ren shrugged. She could stop by on the way home that night. Cold stir fry it was. Cautiously sniffing the contents of the box, Ren tried to remember when she had bought it. She mused that it probably wasn't good that she had no recollection of it. However, it didn't _smell_ rotten, so she pulled a fork out of one of the cabinets and took a bite... Well, it could've been worse.

Ren spent five minutes rummaging through her cupboards before remembering that she was out of coffee too. Exasperated, she stared up at the ceiling and took a deep breath. At least, that provided more incentive to go to work. She and her co-workers kept enough of the stuff stockpiled to last the entire region through the next five years. It would be horrifying to see what would happen if they somehow ran out.

Take out box in hand, she wandered over to the couch and switched the TV on, dropping onto the couch with a heavy sigh. As she picked at her cold "breakfast," she flipped through the various news channels, listening to the stories with little interest. Apparently, it was supposed to be a nice day outside though the weatherman predicted overcast skies later in the week. Since she wasn't particularly concerned with the weather, Ren continued flipping channels until she came to a station talking about the latest crime scene.

They were discussing the "Surgeon" Cases. Of course Ren recognized the name. Several of her colleagues had been talking about them for the past few months, and the detective woman would be lying if she said she hadn't brought them up a few times herself. A murderer that left no evidence – it was unthinkable. No, more than unthinkable, it was actually _impossible_. No one in history had ever been able to pull off a crime spree like that. However, she had heard from several trusted sources that it was true. Though Ren hadn't directly worked on the case yet – she had been off duty when the bodies were discovered – she wanted to at least be present at the next crime scene. Maybe it was shallow, but it was one of the reasons she had been volunteering for more shifts lately. In her entire career, Ren had only worked on one serial killer case, the Kira Case, which every officer had been forced to work on at the time. To her regret though, she had bowed out at the urging of her family... Even now the thought made her mouth twitch in disdain. She could have helped... She should have.

But things were different now. _She_ was different now and had years of experience behind her now. This time, Ren wouldn't back down so easily if she had a chance.

 _'The Surgeon...'_ The public could never come up with good names for criminals. Of course, she could easily see where they came up with them. It was usually the most obvious thing about the killer. For instance, with this killer, they called him the Surgeon because of the way he cut up his victims... However, Ren found the idea behind the name disturbing in a way. Surgeons helped people, saved people. This killer, he was one of the worst to plague the streets in a very long time... He needed to be stopped, and the dark-haired detective woman wanted to be the one to do it.

Suddenly, Ren shuddered as she chewed through a particularly lumpy bite of stir fry. Mouth twisted into a thin frown, she stared at the box disdainfully. Rolling her eyes at herself, she realized she was being ridiculous. Instead of eating this junk, she could just as easily stop by a cafe. It was on the way to the precinct anyways, and the owner always gave her a discount.

Without delaying any further, Ren jammed her paperwork and keys into her shoulder bag, strapped on her holster, and headed out the door.

 **~}(3){~**

The warm scent of cinnamon and other spices greeted Ren as she pushed through the entryway of the Peach Tree Cafe, and a smile instinctively crossed her face.

For as long as Ren could remember, the little eatery had been in business. She had found the place back when she had first moved to the city, and she had never stopped coming here. It was sort of a novelty cafe; the owner Atsuo had built it with the idea of recreating a North American restaurant since he had spent a few years living there with his family when he was younger. It was a small shop with only five or six tables scattered around the room, each covered by a red checked-print table cloth, and it actually served a wide variety of food – mostly American, but there were a few traditional foods for those that didn't care for the other. From Ren's knowledge though, their breakfast foods brought in the most business. The detective woman tried to top by at least once or twice a week, and over the years, she had befriended the owners, Atsuo and his wife Sachi. They were in their early thirties like Ren, and had become some of her closest friends.

Sitting down at the table towards the back corner, Ren grinned when she saw the messy mop of dark brown hair that was Atsuo peek out from behind the counter as he stooped over to grab a menu. Straightening, he smiled back at her and made his way to her table.

"Good morning!" the bright man greeted, pushing the menu in her direction.

She waved him off with another smile. "I already know what I want – like always."

Atsuo shrugged, giving her a pointed look. "Just trying to keep up the appearance of being professional," he told her with a sniff. "Besides, you could do with a little variety. Are you sure you don't want to try something special for a change?"

"No thank you. Last time I agreed to 'try something special'-" here, she put in air quotes. "- I ended up learning that I actually am allergic to some foods"

"It was a stroke of bad luck on your part." Atsuo shrugged.

"Even so." She laughed. Coming here had been the right choice. Just being with her friend was putting her in a better mood than she had been in since she woke up. Of course, that was just the way it was around him. He made it hard for her to be in a bad mood or sulk, or all the other negative habits he warned her she liked to fall into. After a pause, the woman added, "Good morning by the way." He just shook his head at her in response.

"If you're so prepared, what _do_ you want? Just the usual?"

Giving him a superior smirk, she said, "Variety huh?.. How about this? I want a plate of pancakes with no syrup and strawberries-" She paused, remembering the decaying fruit in her fridge. "-no wait, apples."

"I thought you _knew_ what you wanted," he said wryly.

"Well I did until you insulted my morning ritual."

"Don't make things up. You don't even come in here every morning, thank goodness," he told her with fake-exasperation.

Pressing her lips together, she shot him a glare and made a shooing motion with her hands. "Just go do whatever it is that you actually do in this place. From what I can tell, Sachi does all the real work around this place... Oh, and I'd like a cup of coffee."

"Hey, I'm the one who started this business." He crossed his arms, frowning back at her. "I'll have you know I'm the only one keeping this business afloat. The customers are drawn to my winning personality." Ren rolled her eyes at that. " Anyways, you sure about that coffee? Sachi made it this morning," Atsuo warned, nodding his head towards his wife who was hurrying around the cafe doing actual work while her husband piddled around finding ways to fill time.

Ren winced, and when she spoke, she wasn't sure whether she was trying to convince him or herself. "She's gotten a lot better at that, and besides, I need it this morning I may regret saying this, but the flavor doesn't matter."

"As you wish..." He trailed off with melodramatic ominousness, returning to the kitchen, and Ren rolled her eyes at him once again.

If asked, the detective woman could not honestly explain how they had become friends. To be honest, Atsuo was exactly the type of person that she avoided if she could, and the type of person that usually avoided _her_ as well. It was just one of those relationships that snuck up you. The afternoon after she had attended her first work-safety seminar, she had come into the cafe to review the pamphlet she was supposed to memorize when Atsuo came over. For some reason lost to memory, he had started reading over her shoulder and asking all sorts of questions about her job. At first, she had tried to ignore his efforts, mostly offering him one-word answers, but after he made this stupid joke about female-officers, she finally relented and began talking with him. From there, it had grown into a common routine until they just became friends. Then eventually, Sachi had entered the picture, and it only seemed natural at that point to be her friend as well.

All Ren knew for certain was that she was grateful for them. They had helped her out a lot over the years, probably more than either of them realized.

Sachi's cheerful greeting from across the room drew her out of her reverie. "Morning, Ren!" she shouted, garnering the looks of the other customers in the room as well. Sachi was nearly as loud and bright as her husband all the time. However, the difference there was that she could also turn stern in a moment flat and wasn't in the habit of putting up with anything she didn't want to. She wasn't afraid to tell you that either.

Embarrassed by all the stares directed her way, Ren tried to ignore them as well as the blush on her cheeks and called back, "Hey, Sachi!" The woman took a step in her direction but was called over by one of their other customers. Sachi shot her an apologetic grin before going over to the table.

At that moment, Atsuo returned holding her pancakes and coffee. Setting the food in front of Ren, he slid into the seat across from her.

"Shouldn't you be helping your customers?" Ren asked as she bit into her pancakes.

Atsuo waved her off. "Nah, Sachi's got it," he said, gesturing towards his wife, who – having overheard them – was glaring at him as she scurried back and forth between the kitchen and the tables. The look in her eyes said they would be having words about that later and would've made most men take the words right back. However, the idiot across from her only beamed back at her.

Ren shook her head at him but laughed despite herself. "Uh-huh, and you just proved my point by the way." As she took a sip of coffee, she couldn't quite repress the cringe. Maybe she should've heeded Atsuo's warning after all. He grinned at her triumphantly.

"Speaking of my beloved wife," Atsuo began, smile brightening from the impish grin he had been wearing into a genuine one, "did you notice?"

Brow furrowed, Ren glanced over at Sachi, trying to figure out what he was talking about. To Ren, she looked normal, and if Atsuo's expression was anything to go by, Sachi wasn't sick or anything. Finally, she shook her head. "No, what is it?"

"We're going to be parents," he told her.

Ren's gaze snapped back to Sachi, and sure enough, she saw the slightest of baby-bumps, unnoticeable unless you were looking for it. Grinning at Atsuo, she said, "I believe congrats are in order."

"They damn well better be," he affirmed. "You're one of the first people we've told, you know. Our parents are the only other ones."

"Really, I'm happy for you," she told him sincerely. "I expect you to name her after me if it's a girl, just so you know."

"Hell, we could probably stretch it to work for a boy given the spelling," he told her going along with it. That, shut her right up, and she shot a withering look at him. "Alright, alright! I know you're a little touchy about that still. Enough about me though, Atsuo said. "What's been going on with you, Miss Ren?"

Ren snorted. "Work."

"You always say that," he informed her blandly, picking at the frayed edge of the table cloth.

"That's because that's all I do." She shrugged. "Let's see... My younger sister got engaged last week."

"Cindy?" he clarified.

"That's the one."

"Who's the guy?"

Ren forced herself to take a sip of the less-than-astounding coffee, knowing the taste didn't make much of a difference for the reason she needed it. "His name is Robert. He's some photographer she met in Canada while she was shooting there."

Cindy was only in her mid-twenties, but she was already a fairly successful magazine photographer. A few years back, she had left Japan with their mother after their father's passing in order to pursue a job opportunity in the United States and hadn't returned yet. Now, the younger girl probably never would, the detective assumed bitterly. Even though Ren was proud of her sister's determination to do what she loved, she missed Cindy and just wished she would come home.

"Canada? That's pretty far," Atsuo pointed out, eyebrows raised.

Ren huffed a sigh that made her sound far more exhausted than she was. "Don't remind me. It's not like she's ever here anyways..."

"But, that's still really far," he finished for her.

Ren nodded, popping an apple slice into her mouth. She glanced at her watch and realized that it was nearly eight. Standing, she pulled out the appropriate amount of money from her wallet and dropped it on the table. "Well, I'm off. My first shift starts in fifteen minutes."

Moving to gather her dishes, Atsuo frowned in distaste. "Guess that means I better get back to work too. Don't work too hard, okay?"

"Sure," Ren agreed. "Tell Sachi I'm sorry we didn't get to talk and congratulate her for me."

"Will do."

Ren paused in front of the door to wave at Sachi before making her way to the station.

 **~}(4){~**

"So, have you decided yet?" Aizawa asked, leaning onto his forearms as he settled in for their coming discussion.

Once again, having already been called in, Matsuda was seated in the chair on the other side of his desk. "I think so, yeah," his friend agreed, idly flipping through a sheaf of files he had brought with him that morning.

"Let's hear it then," he prompted, gesturing with his hand to go on. "Who did you pick?"

"The first one I chose was Yuya Tsukino. I've checked his records. He's good at getting confessions," Matsuda supplied, sliding one of the manila folders across the desk to him. "He seems to have a way with people. They like to talk to him."

Aizawa nodded, studying the file. There was no photograph of Tsukino in it. After the discovery of Death Notes and the conclusion of the Kira Case, the department had pulled all photographs out of the new records. They were hoping to avoid any possible future incidents. At the time, some had suggested even provided aliases for the officers working there, but Aizawa denied the request. It just wasn't feasible to pull their entire identities from the records, and it felt a little too much like hiding from the criminals for his own comfort. Regardless, Aizawa was aware of who Tsukino was. "He's a good detective too. He was the one who solved that string of robberies a few years back."

"He worked on that one alone and still managed to piece it all together," Matsuda added. "One time when we were working together, he mentioned something about being involved with several missing persons cases." He uncrossed his legs, leaning forward. "I'm hoping he'll have a few ideas on identifying our victims."

"It's a good start certainly."

Folding his hands in his lap, Matsuda continued, "I've only worked with him once or twice, but he seemed committed enough."

"He is," Aizawa agreed. "He's worked here for as long as we have at any rate." Nodding in agreement, the younger detective passed over another folder. Seeing the name _'Ren Gushike'_ Aizawa rolled his eyes in exasperation. It had been his natural response to anything involving her for as long as he had known her. "I've worked with her quite a bit." He snorted. "I was there when she joined the force."

Matsuda raised an eyebrow, and before he even spoke, Aizawa just knew he was about to be cheeky. "I figured that was the case for every officer we have now," he said, a smug look on his face.

Aizawa leaned back, crossing his arms across his chest and frowning. "You're not calling me old are you?"

The younger detective shot him an impish grin. "You did say you were a dinosaur last time we talked," he reminded.

"Yeah, yeah... And, I believe I used 'we.'" Aizawa waved him off.

"I actually picked the older officers on purpose.. They at least have a little more experience with such violent crimes than the new ones.." Shaking his head, Matsuda continued, "So you've worked with her before?"

"They had me shadow her on her first case. She shot me."

Matsuda choked on his surprise. "Can't say I haven't considered it at times though I never thought anyone would actually do it. What did you do to piss her off?"

"Why would you assume I did something?" At the eyebrow he raised, the police chief raised a hand haltingly. "Nevermind, I know exactly what you're going to say. It was an _accident_ ," Aizawa clarified. "She was almost fired for it too if I remember correctly. They said she was too trigger-happy for the force." Grinning at whatever mental image he'd conjured up, Matsuda burst into a fit of laughter. "Laugh it up," he said blandly.

Matsuda wiped at the corner of his eye. "Don't worry. I am."

"I'm surprised you haven't heard all this before. Everyone talked about it for a long time."

"Honestly, I am too. From what I _have_ heard about her, she's apparently improved since then. She's got the best scores on the gun range out of everyone in the department except for myself," Matsuda said.

Aizawa nodded, remembering the last few times he'd worked with the dark-haired girl. "I believe it. Over the years, she's become much more competent." He huffed a laugh. "I refused to work with her for about two years after that first case though."

"Can't say that I blame you."

"Anyways," Aizawa continued, getting back on track, "who's next?"

"I've worked with him a few times," Matsuda began, handing over the final folder.

"Koji Ogawa," Aizawa read aloud. "He's always done fairly well for the department, but he's improved drastically in the past few years for whatever reason." Shrugging, he added, "I guess something clicked. Either way, he'll do a good job. He's got an eye for detail. A little eccentric at times, but he's smart." He thumbed through the folder.

"He's very dedicated to his work. I've never seen him give up on a case."

"You'll need people like him," Aizawa added, raking a hand through his hair. Shutting the folder with a snap, Aizawa straightened them into a stack. "Alright, it sounds like you're all set... If that's all?"

"Yeah, that's it. I don't want to have too many people working on this for the time being. If it's too much, I'll let you know. I'm about to call them all into the conference room to fill them in," Matsuda told him, standing to leave. "Did you want to sit in on it?" he offered, folding his arms over his chest.

Aizawa paused for a moment to think. Though he would admit he was interested, he didn't know if he wanted to expend that much time on a case he wasn't even going to work himself. Finally, he shook his head. "I still have some work to do. I want to finish early today."

"Any particular reason?"

"Eriko's parent's are coming over for dinner," Aizawa explained.

"Normally, I would ask why I'm not invited, but I'll leave the in laws to you." Matsuda grimaced. "Last time I saw her, Eriko's mom gave me the evil eye."

"Maybe that's where Eriko gets it," Aizawa mused, smiling fondly.

"I wouldn't know." Matsuda grinned, heading towards the door but pausing to speak over his shoulder. "She only uses it on you."

"Don't you have a team to put together?"

Aizawa heard Matsuda's laugh echo from the hallway.

 **~}(5){~**

Taking a slow deep breath, Ren leaned back in the black office chair and pressed the heels of her palms against her eyes. She had been staring at that bright computer screen for the past six hours straight, and it had started giving her a headache two hours ago. Currently, she was retyping and filing various statements on several different cases for a few other officers. It was time-consuming and boring, but she knew it was a necessary part of the process. However, Ren had been staring at the word 'painted' for the past two minutes, trying to decide if it was actually misspelled or not despite having already used spellcheck on it. With a sigh, she pushed the screen away from her. Since she wasn't getting any work done anyways, the detective woman decided to take a break for the time being. Maybe another cup of coffee would do her some good.

She stood and flinched at the three cracks that came from her back from having hunched over for so long. Making her way to the break room, where three other officers were chatting, Ren pulled out the tin of her favorite kind of coffee and started the coffee maker. As she waited for her drink, she leaned against the counter and checked her phone, sending a brief reply to the message her older sister had sent. Soon, the sound of booming laughter drew her attention.

"What's so funny?" she asked.

Tadahiro Akiyama, an older officer who had slicked back, salt and pepper hair and black eyes, answered, "Kyoya was just telling us about this old lady who keeps calling the department." With him, were Kyoya and Shinichi, two of the not-quite-newer officers she worked with every so often. "Apparently, she's worried that the birds outside her home are acting as spies for one of the local crime gangs. Don't know why they'd wanna spy on a little old lady in the first place"

Ren let out a little chuckle. Turning to Kyoya, she asked, "What'd you do about her?"

"I told her not to worry, that we are aware of the situation and have some people working on it," he replied. When she sent him a stern glance, he shrugged her off. "What am I supposed to do about something like that? It's not like we can actually look into something like that."

She shook her head at him, but smiled anyways. "You shouldn't tease people like that."

"What was I supposed to do?" Kyoya repeated. "I thought it would at least put _her_ mind at ease."

"Sure," Ren agreed, sarcasm lacing her tone.

"I'm gonna laugh when it turns out she was right." Tadahiro smirked at him.

"If that turns out to be true, I'll personally guard her house for a month," Kyoya informed them, his face deadly serious.

"Only a month? You can't get rid of a gang with access to a syndicate of watch-birds in a month."

Ren snickered as she poured herself a cup of coffee and stirred in a little cream, the spoon clinking against the sides of the mug. Taking a sip, she hummed in contentment as she swallowed the hot liquid.

"Grab me a cup, would you?" Shinichi asked, thanking her as she handed it to him. He took a drink – then promptly spat it out, sputtering in disgust. "What the hell did I just drinks?"

Tadahiro burst out laughing. "Saw that one coming."

"It's herbal coffee." Ren explained with a withering look. Why did everyone hate it so much? "Unlike the other stuff, it's actually good for you."

Opposed to regular black coffee – which she drank on a regular basis contrary to popular opinion – she preferred herbal. Not only did it possess five times the amount of antioxidants of green tea, but it also tasted great – also contrary to popular opinion. The unsweetened chocolate mint and ramon nuts mixed together to form a dark, bitter flavor that settled smoothly against Ren's tongue. If nothing else, it perked her up more than regular caffeine ever could.

During her second semester at Kyoto Sangyo University, Ren had decided to try and cut caffeine out of her diet in an attempt to be healthier after taking an anatomy and physiology course. That was all well and good, of course... Until the weight of her course work crashed down on her. Every night, she had stayed up for hours studying which left little time for sleep. But just before she gave in and started drinking coffee again, someone had suggested she try herbal coffee, which had obviously worked. She hadn't stopped drinking it since – to the disgust of her fellow officers who hated the beverage with a fiery passion.

Their loss.

Tadahiro wrinkled his stubby nose at her. "I'll never know how you drink that crap."

Ren shrugged. "I like it."

"Another thing that eludes me."

Before she had a chance to retort, another officer walked into the room. He was about a head taller than her with kind brown eyes and styled short black hair. Although she hadn't worked with him directly, she recognized him. She thought his name was Tsuchi or maybe Tsukino. "Matsuda wants to see us in the conference room," he told her.

"Alright," the detective agreed, shrugging at the looks the other officers were giving her. As far as she knew, she hadn't done anything to get into trouble, and besides that, she imagined it would be Chief Aizawa calling for her if that was the case.

Falling into step behind him, Ren wondered what was going on.

 **~}(6){~**

Midnight had just passed. A crescent moon glimmered dully in the starless sky, doing as little to light the streets as the lamps around him. Despite the occasional passerby, the streets were all but empty. A lone figure trailed an ignorant man, just one of the blind masses. As soon as all traces of life were out of sight, it would be time.

 _'It's almost funny. All the reports assume I'm just killing at random – that I just pick a person off the street and snuff them out without rhyme or reason... How wrong they are._

 _'I could do that if I wanted it to, but that's not part of the plan. There's no need to do that now. Perhaps... But that is for another time. These people are livestock, herded around this city like the mindless beasts they are – never paying attention to anything unless someone shoves their noses in it. The only reason they noticed my work is because ... What if their next? They fear me, so I must be caught. In a way, it's almost laughable._

 _'The police are still ignorant to what's right in front of them. Good. They won't be an issue ... for now. Oh they will find out – in due time. They will know . They have to know._ _He_ _must know._

 _'It's time.'_

The street was empty now – except for two. The figure behind closed the gap. Arms lunged for the blind leader.

A dog barked in the distance. The moon stared at the empty street.

 **~}(** _To Be Continued_ **){~**

* * *

 _ **A/N: Ooh! A peek at our killer too! Let me know what you think about him/her and what they might actually be planning! Alright, so this shouldn't matter since I pretty much have it ready to go, but I'm gonna be away at camp next week. I get back on Friday, but it'll be later into the evening (my time) for this to be posted.**_

 _ **Thanks for the support!**_

 _ **ONWARD!**_

 ** _-Alyssa_**


	4. Murder

_**A/N: Sorry about the delay. Just got back from church camp yesterday, and completely forgot. I'm also super exhausted today so I'll keep this brief. I didn't get a chance to reply to reviews either, but I really appreciated all the support. Hope you guys like the next part!**_

 _ **ENJOY!**_

* * *

 **Chapter III: Murder**

" _Hell is empty, and all the devils are here." - William Shakespeare_

 **~}(1){~**

As he absentmindedly straightened a stack of folders, Matsuda waited for the arrival of Gushike and Tsukino. Ogawa had been the first to make it to the conference room after he had asked Tsukino to retrieve Gushike.

Taking a drink of his coffee, Matsuda looked him over from the corners of his eyes. He was a quiet guy from his experience, and at the moment, the detective was sitting with his legs crossed on one of the metal folding chairs the department provided for the conference room and meticulously polishing his glasses with the sleeve of his gray suit jacket. Though his hair partially concealed them, his eyes were fixed on one of the scratches on the black frames, his mouth curled downward in disdain. Koji Ogawa looked like he was only a few years older than Matsuda – or somewhere around there – and although he didn't look like much with his lanky build and thin face, Matsuda wasn't fooled. He was strong, quick, and had performed above expectation more often than not. In the few times they had worked on cases together, they had managed to solve them within two to three weeks – astounding considering the difficulty of some of them.

One of the cases had become known as the 'Kronos Cipher.' A man and his two sons – later revealed to be the heads of a renowned business cooperation – had kidnapped two opposing CEOs in order to remove any competition in an upcoming business deal. The family moved their hostages almost daily to keep the police off their trail.

However, one of the CEOs, who had studied mythology extensively, began scratching out bits of the stories in various places in his holding place. Within the tales, he left clues by misspelling certain names. Since the scratched out stories didn't appear to reveal anything damning, or perhaps they simply hadn't noticed them, the kidnappers had left them alone. Ogawa solved the ciphers before any other officer on the case and, collecting each misspelled letter, formed a sentence that revealed the identity of the kidnappers. After cracking the code, Ogawa and Matsuda took the family into custody where those involved eventually confessed. It had been an impressive case to solve to say the least.

Breaking through Matsuda's reverie, Ogawa spoke up, "Do I have something on my face, or are you staring for another reason?"

How had he noticed? Matsuda thought he wasn't being too blatant, and all things considered, he _knew_ he was pretty good at being subtle. Knowing he'd been caught either way, the detective smiled sheepishly. "Sorry about that. I was just thinking of an old case."

With a nod, Ogawa pushed his spectacles back into place. "No harm done, I suppose... I wonder where the others are," he added, frowning at the door.

Glancing at the small black clock on the wall, Matsuda realized over fifteen minutes had passed since he had sent the call out. They would arrive any moment. Overhead, the fluorescent lights hummed dully. "We'll give them five more minutes."

Ever since Aizawa had made him head detective of the case, his mind had been working overdrive. It had been so long since the department needed to deal with a serial killer. In fact, Matsuda wasn't certain if any of the newer officers had ever worked on a case involving one. The hopeful part of Matsuda's mind had always whispered that Light could be the last one – the worst at the very least.

Another more traitorous part of his mind added that Light was the reason there were no serial killers anymore.

Of course, he ignored that part. It didn't carry much weight in Matsuda's opinion. No matter what his intention had been, Light had failed to carry out justice. Instead, he had become just as evil as the criminals he murdered. Perhaps even more so. Murder could never be justice – even if the criminals had likely deserved such deaths. Taking someone's life unnecessarily couldn't be left to the decision of one person. Never.

But this killer ... They didn't hide behind some ideal of justice. If they were, then why try to cover that up? No, Matsuda felt like this murderer kept emotions and ideals separate from his killings. The way every move, every cut, every kill was so cold and precise ... It set off warning bells in Matsuda's head that this killer treated murder as a job – something that needed to be accomplished and nothing more. Something that required a cool head. Of course, Matsuda hardly believed that the killer had no goal in mind. He wouldn't need to hide his victims' identities if they were random murders... In addition, he was leaving no evidence at all? This killer was going to meticulous lengths to hinder their investigation. A muscle ticked in Matsuda's jaw. _'That's a dangerous combination.'_

The sound of the door opening brought Matsuda out of his thoughts, and Tsukino came marching in with Gushike trailing him. Sliding into the chair across from Ogawa, Tsukino gave him a curt nod, and Gushike eased into the chair next to Matsuda as he took a moment to appraise his team as a whole.

Looking at him expectantly, Tsukino was leaning back with his arms crossed over his chest. The man was tall and in excellent shape. Sitting in the small metal folding chair, he looked a little out of place and kept his expression blank overall. Next to him, Gushike was sitting ram-rod straight, toying with the fabric of her jacket. However, her eyes focused on Matsuda, listening intently. Meanwhile, Ogawa continued periodically cleaning his glasses, apparently unconcerned with the reason they had been called in here.

Satisfied and knowing the silence had stretched on long enough, Matsuda passed a folder to each of them, pausing a moment as they skimmed through the files and watching their reactions. "I assume you're wondering why you're here?"

"Well you are being awfully cryptic this morning," affirmed Tsukino. The other two nodded for Matsuda to continue but remained silent.

"Chief Aizawa has deemed it necessary for the department to create a team assigned to the 'Surgeon Cases.'" He let that sink in for a minute. His attention caught, Ogawa pushed his glasses back into place and glanced up at Matsuda, a thoughtful frown marring his features while Tsukino simply cocked an eyebrow. Ren leaned forward, resting her elbows on the table. "Well," Matsuda continued, "he's put me in charge of this task force, and I've chosen you as my team."

Gesturing to the files in their hands, he added, "This is what we know so far. I would like for you all to take the rest of the evening to go over it."

Gushike looked up from the files in her hands and asked, "What about any other cases we're working on at the moment?"

"All of your current cases and duties will be assigned to another officer. This has priority." Matsuda thought he saw a small smile cross her face as he said this, but she took a sip of coffee before he could be certain. "Any more questions?" he asked, addressing the group as a whole.

"Yes," Ogawa began, his eyes focused down on the files, "was there anything in particular you want us look for?"

Scrubbing a hand over his chin, Matsuda let his gaze wander as he thought it over. He could advise them several ways. Along with filling out an official M.O, they also needed to come up with the area where most victims were being targeted. But, no... There were more important tasks than those.. After a moment, Matsuda decided what their first step was going to be. Nodding to himself, he told them, "For now, let's try and identify our victims. If we can manage that, I think we'll start to understand what's going on."

"What's to understand? This guy's a murderer, and he's killing innocent people," Tsukino said dryly, his mouth pressed into a thin line as he ran his thumb over one of the crime-scene photos, the anger in his eyes easy to read.

Matsuda frowned. "That's not what I meant, but you know this is important, right?"

"I. D-ing our victims will get us that much closer to finding _this guy_ , as you put it," Ogawa remarked.

A moment passed. Taking a deep breath, Tsukino relented, "Yeah, I know it is, and I know it'd be important even if it didn't help. Sorry, I'm just a little on edge about this g- this murderer. Something about him, beyond the fact that he _is_ a murderer, just screams bad news."

Matsuda nodded. "It's understandable. This ... isn't an everyday occurrence. Believe me, I want to catch the bastard just as much as you, but we have to have something to go off of like Ogawa said."

At his words, the room lapsed into silence, each occupant chewing on the information he had given them.

Briefly, Matsuda wondered how long it would take them to get used to working with each other. In his experience it took around two weeks for a team to really come together – assuming they all got along with each other. By then, they would know a few things about the others' personality and methods. Matsuda didn't think they would have too many problems. Sure, Tsukino had a temper, but it was nothing compared to Aizawa back before he became Chief. Gushike was pretty even in temperament, a little quiet from what he knew, and Matsuda didn't think she would cause any trouble. Ogawa... He was a bit harder to read. In the past, the dark-haired detective had no problem working with him on cases, but from their brief exchange, he got the impression that the other man didn't care much for Tsukino, which could be a problem. Perhaps it would sort itself out though, or maybe he was just reading too far into things.

Giving them one last look, Matsuda nodded and said, "Alright. That's all I have for now. We'll meet tomorrow and discuss theories."

Nodding their agreement, they all stood, files in hand, and made their way out the door. Matsuda glanced at the clock. His shift wouldn't end for another two hours. In the meantime, it wouldn't hurt to go over the files one more time, and he wanted to speak with the coroners who had examined the bodies. Adjusting his tie, Matsuda flipped open the remaining manila folder.

 **~}(2){~**

As she stepped out of the conference room, Ren tried to hide her smile by taking a sip of her now cooling herbal coffee. Honestly, smiling like an idiot after coming out of a meeting about a serial killer looked a little strange to anyone who didn't know what was going on in her head. Just that morning, she had been hoping that she could help with the next body that turned up. Now, she had been told that she would be working on a task force entirely devoted to the case, and not only that, but Matsuda himself had hand-picked her for the job. That, in and of itself, was an honor.

It was no secret that Matsuda was one of the best officers on the force, and all the new recruits and older officers alike looked up to him. Strangely enough, even though they had both worked on the force for years – they had to have joined around the same time, the dark-haired woman though – she had only worked with him once or maybe twice if even... It wouldn't have been for long at the very least. Regardless, she liked the guy. From what she did remember, he was easy to get along with and could make her laugh or at the very least smile. He was a good guy... Ren thought they were about the same age, but at times, Matsuda seemed years older than her.

As she had thought, her feet were on auto-pilot, and Ren suddenly found herself back at her desk. Someone had taped a note letting her know that one of the departments officers had already taken over her previous duties to her keyboard, and she raised an eyebrow in surprise at how quickly news had spread. It seemed she was already on the case. _''Well, at least I'm done with that filing,'_ she thought with no small amount of glee. Matsuda wanted her to review case files today, so that's what she would do.

Dropping down on the black office chair, Ren flipped the folder open. Even though she had leafed through it at the meeting, she had not paid it too much attention wanting to focus on whatever else Matsuda had to say. Inside, she found pictures of all four bodies, crime scene photos, statements from those who had found the body, and any ideas the previous investigators had on the case. Ren continued flipping pages but didn't find anything note-worthy in them. _'Just focus on identifying victims...'_ Matsuda's voice played in her head. Nodding to herself, she pulled out the pictures for a closer examination.

The first victim was a man in his mid-to-late forties with graying hair. He had a muscular build, and the coroner's examination revealed several places where broken bones had healed in the past. Other than that, Ren didn't see any other defining traits. On the other hand, the second victim was a short elderly man with white hair and dull brown eyes. Unlike the first victim, he had several large scars – years, maybe even decades, old. One ran along the underside of his jaw, and a pink splotch dotted his shoulder from what appeared to be a gun shot wound.

That gave Ren pause. They had both taken quite the beating in their lives, so maybe they had been apart of some gang? Biting her lip, Ren's eyes narrowed. And maybe, the killer had some vendetta against the gang? Or maybe... Was it possible that the 'Surgeon' wasn't a person at all, but a rival gang? If that was the case, it would explain how they managed to clean up their crime-scenes so well. At the same time though, it would be more difficult to hide the activity of an organization over a single individual's. At any rate, it was worth considering.

As soon as she picked up the next picture, Ren frowned.

She couldn't see the third victim fitting into a gang at all. He was thin, wiry, and in his early thirties at the latest. When he was murdered, he had been wearing a light green t-shirt and khaki shorts, and unlike the others, he didn't have any scaring – inside or out. Still, the latest victim came as the biggest surprise to Ren. It was a woman in her forties, her hair pulled into a low ponytail at the nape of her neck. Scarring in her lungs indicated that she was a smoker – a heavy one at that. She also had a tattoo of a blue tree with winding branches on her hip. The coroner's notes suggested that she might've had another tattoo on her ankle because the killer had scraped a small patch of skin off of it. He wouldn't leave anything that could be used to identify her, so it was likely that he had done it.

What was the link between victims? They didn't seem to have anything in common. Varied ages. Varied builds. Eyes. Hair. Blood type. Gender. Not one common trait present in all of them. No wonder the investigation had come to a stand still so early in to the case... Even if it ended up meaning nothing, Ren wrote her theory about the gang on a piece of scratch paper. It was worth bringing up at the meeting tomorrow anyways.

Next, Ren looked through all the crime scene photos. Aside from at the first scene, each victim was posed the same way – arms at their sides, and body laid out flat on their back. According to the statements on the first case, the girls that found the body caused the blood spatters all over the crime scene. However, the other three were almost spotless. There was no blood except for the red dots on the victims chest where the killer had punctured their lungs and small puddles under their hands and at the base of their neck where the blood had dribbled down from their mouths. The bodies had been found in various locations – two in alleys, one in an abandoned warehouse, and the remaining behind a restaurant. Ren's brow furrowed.

Part of her was impressed at the intelligence and planning it must have taken, but regardless, it horrified her that someone had done it at all, that someone was able to do something like that without batting an eye. Even after working on the force for so long, she couldn't get used to that. It didn't surprise her anymore, but it still horrified her to know what humans were truly capable of. What had these people done to deserve that kind of death? Ren's gaze hardened to steel. It didn't matter if they had _done_ something or not. This kind of retaliation was not the right way to respond. Even if she had grown up with a fairly decent childhood with loving parents, Ren had been hurt by people before. That was part of life. Growing up even. A lot of people had hurt her in one way or another, her first boy-friend after he dumped her for another girl, her best friend who accused her of stealing money from her family, even her mother who had told her she might as well just jump off a building if she was so eager to kill herself by joining the police force. However, she never wished either of them would die for what they had said or done.

Ren shook her head to rid herself of the memories. Parallels – that's what she was looking for. What was the same. As she shuffled through the photographs once more, something started nagging her. The only damage the victims sustained was post mordim aside from the killing blow. She saw no bruising or scratches ... nothing.

Why hadn't they fought back?

Flipping through the folder, Ren pulled out the toxicology report. No known poisons were found in their system though there were some traces of odd chemicals that had scarred their lungs. A type of chloroform? The notes mentioned that they had tried to give samples to the lab, but progress was slow due to a lack of substance to work with. The more Ren learned about this case, the more confused she became. After this, Ren poured over every inch of those folders, back to front – then back again. There _had_ to be something in them. She just had to -

Ren jumped when someone tapped her on the shoulder. Frown in place, she whipped around to see Shinichi, hands raised in mock surrender. "Woah, easy there," he said.

"You startled me." She laughed lightly. "Was there something you needed?"

"Well, I wanted to make sure you knew that your shift ended ten minutes ago."

Ren scrunched up her face in thought for a moment, then she nodded in realization, a smile crossing her face. "Don't worry, Shinichi. I'm pulling a double shift today. I still have awhile. Thanks for the concern though."

Letting out a laugh, Shinichi shook his head at her. "No, I knew that. Look at the clock," he told her. "You've been sitting there for hours. I take it you're really invested in this new assignment the Chief has you on."

Eyes widening, Ren looked at the clock and realized he was right. Ren sat back and rubbed her eyes. "You could say that … I didn't even notice ..." She laughed sheepishly as she felt the weariness of the day catching up to her.

The young officer laughed with her. "It happens," he said, leaning against Ren's desk. "We all get wrapped up in our work sometimes."

"Right. Well, since it _is_ so late, I should head home. I have some errands to run too." Standing, then popping her back, Ren smiled at him with a nod. "Thanks again for letting me know."

"Any time." Shinichi patted her arm.

Ren gathered up the files and tucked them into her work bag. She wanted to go over them a few more times before the meeting tomorrow. Saying her brief goodbyes to a few other officers that noticed her leaving, Ren clocked out and headed out the door.

 **~}(3){~**

The next morning, when Ren made it to the conference room, Matsuda and Chief Aizawa were already waiting for her. Once again, she had stayed up too late, and once again, she regretted it. If nothing else, Ren felt confident that she knew everything those files could possibly tell her about the case. To make up for a lack of sleep, the detective woman was nursing a cup of coffee, a nice special treat one from a nearby coffee shop too. When she was this tired, Ren always felt entitled to special... well, everything, and usually ended up making several impulse buys.

Taking a seat next to Matsuda, Ren mustered a smile, nodding in respect to both of them. "Good morning, Matsuda, Chief."

"Morning, Ren," Aizawa said. "You're here early." The chief took a drink of his own coffee.

"A little," she admitted with a shrug. "It could've been worse. I've been awake for a few hours already..." She trailed off.

"It's fine." Aizawa waved her off. "Matsuda and I were just discussing the case."

"So," Ren began, raising an eyebrow, "will you be joining the task force and working with us on this case too?"

Matsuda huffed a melodramatic sigh. "I already tried that one," he told her blandly, jabbing a thumb in Aizawa's direction.

Leaning back in his chair, Aizawa just shrugged. "As much as I'd like to devote myself to getting rid of this murderer we've got on our hands, I have other things on my plate. I can't just drop everything like I used to, but I can rest easy knowing that I've got good people who _can_ devote themselves to this."

Ren nodded to him in understanding. "Of course." He was chief of the force, and each officer dealt with different cases. Overseeing all of it would take up a lot of time. Plus, Aizawa had a family on top of everything else.

Matsuda glanced at the clock hanging on the wall. "We have another fifteen minutes before everyone else is supposed to show." He gestured to Ren's Styrofoam cup of mostly gone coffee. "Would you like me to get you some? I need some more anyways. I mean, the department's isn't quite so fancy as you know, but.." He trailed off meaningfully, sending a teasing smile to her.

Ren smiled back. "Thanks, I could use another cup. Mind if I walk with you though? I'm kinda picky about my coffee?"

"Yeah sure," he agreed understandingly. "You want any?" Matsuda asked Aizawa.

"Sure," the chief answered absently, sliding his cup in their direction as he skimmed through a folder another officer had just brought to him.

Matsuda and Ren spent the walk to the break room in a comfortable silence. Even now, she continued turning over the information she'd scraped from the case files. In truth, she was looking forward to the meeting. Along with sharing her theories about the case, she wanted to know what conclusions the other officers had drawn to see if they were very different from her own.

When they reached the kitchen, Ren rummaged around under the sink before she found her packet of herbal coffee and set it to brew before starting another pot of regular coffee for Matsuda as well. " "I'm pretty sure I offered to get _you_ coffee, not vice versa," he reminded her with a quirk of his eyebrow though he was smiling too.

"And _I'm_ pretty sure 'thank you' is the proper response... You're welcome by the way," Ren shot back at him with an amused shake of her head.

"You know," Matsuda began, nodding towards the the packet of herbal coffee she had pulled out, "I've never been able to understand how people drink any of those special brands."

A small smile tugged at the corners of her mouth. "I get that a lot."

Matsuda shrugged. "Must be one of those things you either love or hate."

"Must be – because I really love it."

He grinned at her again. "And _I_ really hate it," he teased. "Though it is nice to know who put that stuff in the coffee maker a few weeks back. And I was convinced it had to be some sort of joke. I know of several officers, myself included, nearly choked to death from what I heard."

That got a laugh out of her even as she rolled her eyes. "Well, I am deeply, deeply sorry my drinking preference assaulted your taste buds. It wasn't my intention."

He looked down his nose at her. "As you say, Miss Gushike."

"Please, just Ren is fine since we're going to be working together," she told him. "Gushike makes me sound like some old woman with one too many cats... Besides, Ren makes me sound more manly, or so I'm told. So I'm a little unfortunate either way you go when it comes to names."

Matsuda laughed. At that moment, the coffee maker finally finished brewing their drinks, so he moved to pour some into his and Aizawa's mugs while Ren poured her own cup. "So, you have pets then?" he asked.

Shaking her head vehemently, the dark-haired woman denied, "Oh no. I can't get a plant to survive, much less a pet." He was laughing at her again. "I'm serious," she insisted, setting her mug on the counter to cross her arms. "My sister finally bought me some fake flowers to keep around since I can never keep real ones, and just a week after she gave them to me, they got singed in an unfortunate cooking accident. So, I can't even keep fake flowers alive."

"I'm sorry, but that is pretty pathetic ... Not that I'm much better. Luckily, I just forgo flowers entirely," he told. "How is your sister doing? I haven't seen her around here in awhile."

Ren followed Matsuda back into the hall. "She's fine." Ren couldn't stop the grin that split across her face. "Her youngest kid, Aki, has been keeping her on her toes though. Last week we finally grasped walking."

Matsuda nodded, sage-like. "I hear that's when the real fun begins."

And so on they continued, as they headed back. When they walked back into the conference room, laughing, Aizawa glanced up at them. "What's so funny?"

"Just talking about family," Matsuda explained.

"Ah." He nodded in understanding. "Matsuda," Aizawa began, his tone serious, and the two sobered immediately, "I think you're meeting is postponed."

"What's going on?" Matsuda asked.

"There's been another murder."

 **~}(** _To Be Continued_ **){~**

* * *

 _ **A/N: Okay! Pretty much said everything I wanted to earlier. Thanks a bunch for everything guys. I hope you enjoyed this!**_

 _ **ONWARD!**_

 _ **-Alyssa**_


	5. Identity

_**A/N: Yay! I got this out in time! I was a little skeptical because I was gone again all this week and DIDN'T have this edited before hand where I could just upload it the moment I got back, but it's here and done. And I'm happy with it. Let's get on with it, shall we?**_

 _ **ENJOY!**_

* * *

 **Chapter IV: Identity**

" _To conquer frustration, one must remain intently focused on the outcome, not the obstacles." - T. F. Hodge_

 **~}(1){~**

Stepping out of the blue two-seater and shutting the door behind her with a dull slam, Ren nodded across the roof of the car to Ogawa and said, "Thanks for the ride."

"It's not a problem."

A cold breeze swept across the sidewalk, sending a shiver down Ren's back. As she zipped up her jacket, she squinted up at the sky, pushing the hair out of her eyes to see better. Today, the skies were turning a light gray, promises of the week's rain coming earlier than expected. If the forecast could be believed – which she wasn't sure she did seeing as it was already partly wrong – she could expect rain for the next month straight, maybe more. Apparently, this season promised to be especially wet in terms of weather. Ren frowned at the knowledge. It wasn't that she disliked the rain so much – not that she particularly liked it either – but she didn't have a car. Rain made walking to work a less-than-convenient option, but Ren disliked wasting money on a cab for such a short trip.

Glancing around, the dark-haired detective noticed something different about this murder compared to the others at once. From what she had read in the case files, the murderer left the bodies of his victims in secluded locations like back alleys. However, this new body had been left in the middle of the sidewalk. Although this street was not particularly busy most of the time, it was still much more open than the previous body sites. When concerning serial killers, who were known for being ritualistic, it was a very noticeable variation. What had changed?

At that moment, Tsukino and Matsuda pulled up behind her in another vehicle. Catching her eye as he stepped out of the car, Matsuda nodded to her as she made her way towards him, Ogawa trailing behind her.

After they were all gathered around him, Matsuda began, "Alright, here's how we'll do this. Tsukino, I want you to talk to the man who found the body – then help me deal with the press. We need to keep them away from the scene, and since this is such a public location, that's going to be a little difficult. Ren, you and Ogawa go check out the body and investigate the crime scene, look around for any other differences aside from location."

Everyone voiced their agreement to this arrangement, and after taking a deep breath, Matsuda headed over to talk to the crowd of reporters mulling around as close to the crime scene as possible. A few camera men were even raising their cameras in the air trying to get a shot of the body. Frowning distastefully, Ren winced in sympathy for Matsuda. Luckily for her, she had only needed to speak to the press a handful of times during her career, but the detective couldn't recall a single pleasant experience with them. They were pushy and callous and cared more for their story than the victim, and that was something that turned Ren's stomach. Counting in her head, she noted that there were more than she had seen in awhile gathered there.

Tsukino's voice pulled her away from her thoughts as he placed a hand on her shoulder. He shrugged as though he knew what she was thinking about, but that there was nothing that could be done about it. "C'mon. The sooner we get started, the sooner we can finish this thing."

Out of the corner of her eye, though he didn't say anything, she saw Ogawa scoff at Tsukino. To the tall detective, Ren agreed with an exasperated sigh, "Yeah, I know ... It's nothing new. It's always just kind of..."

"Upsetting?" Tsukino filled in, squeezing her shoulder once more before letting go, and she nodded.

The three quickly strode across the pavement, ducking under the yellow tape before Tsukino broke away and made his way towards an elderly man sitting on the front steps of a building. The man's eyes looked unfocused as he gripped an unlit cigarette with shaking hands, and several butts littered the ash tray beside him.

Ren's frown only deepened at the sight. She hoped they would find some evidence at this crime scene. Stopping at the edge of the crime scene only a few feet from the body, the dark-haired detective asked Ogawa, "How do you want to do this? I don't care where we start."

Pushing his glasses up the bridge of his nose, Ogawa considered her words for a moment. "I'll speak with the coroner while you examine the crime scene. I have a theory I would like to check into."

"That works for me," Ren agreed, nodding to herself.

After the other detective headed off to fine the coroner, the dark-haired woman glanced down over the taped outline of the body. Squatting next to it, not touching anything yet, Ren looked over the three bloodstains – two where the hands would be, the other next to the head. She steeled her stomach against the heavy coppery stench but didn't notice anything out of the ordinary about the scene – at least at such a quick glance.

The body had been left in the same position as the others with the same blood stains. The uniformity of it all unnerved Ren in that it was almost as though the killer worked on a different level than anyone else. Every move was calculated with unmatched precision. Everything was perfectly the same.

Then again, the murder site was different from the others, so perhaps it wasn't all completely uniform... Why? Why risk the change? Why risk being caught? Was this the only way to get the victim alone? It didn't feel right. This killer was patient and would likely have no problem waiting for a more opportune time to strike at their target.. Then a thought struck Ren.

He was growing bolder.

So far, he had killed four victims, and the police had not been able to pick up a single trace of his trail beyond the hints he'd left for them. So now, he decided to kill his latest target in a more open area, a way of testing his limits. Ren did not know how she felt about that. While it meant the chance of him slipping up compounded, chances were, it also meant he could start killing more frequently.

Shaking off the thoughts, Ren pushed herself up to a standing position and looked over the rest of the scene. The body had been left directly to the right of the main entrance to an apartment complex, right beside the small staircase leading to the door. The elderly man who found the body must have lived there. Leaning back on her heels, Ren scrutinized the building. At least a third of the windows were opened with the occupants leaning out the window to catch a glimpse of the crime scene though some of them ducked back inside when they noticed Ren looking at them. Surely one of them had seen or heard something last night. They would need to question the tenants living in apartments facing the street.

When Ren looked back down, she caught sight of Ogawa headed over to her – face expressionless. "Find anything?" she asked as he drew closer.

A muscle in his jaw ticked. "There's still no DNA evidence or ID on our victim. However, I do think I have a lead."

Actually surprised, Ren's eyes widened, her face brightening. "What is it?"

"I'll explain when we get back to the precinct when everyone's together, but it might help us figure out why our victims are not struggling."

"Alright," Ren agreed though she would admit that it irritated her a little that he wouldn't just say what he had found. Getting back on track, she told him, "From what I can tell, this crime scene's as clean as the others. There's only one difference."

"What?" Ogawa asked, removing his glasses to clean them.

"The location. It's more open than the others."

Pushing his glasses back into place, Ogawa glanced around. Finally, his eyes met hers again. "You're right. This is ... different," he settled on. "Still, we should continue searching for evidence."

"Agreed. Also, I'd like to talk to the tenants of this building. They could've seen something." Ren dimly registered the sound of thunder in the background.

Ogawa rubbed his chin thoughtfully. "It's possible. Perhaps unlikely as someone probably would have come forward by now.. However, I agree that we should mention the possibility to Matsuda when he returns."

Ren nodded. "Let's keep looking here."

She felt the first few splatters of rain hitting her head.

 **~}(2){~**

Four hours later found Matsuda, Ogawa, Tsukino, and Ren back in the department's conference room. Ren and Tsukino were frowning as they shucked their drenched jackets, folding them over the backs of their chairs in hopes of drying them out some. Matsuda had been standing under a canopy talking to the press when the storm hit, so he was only partially damp from the brief time he spent walking to and from the car. To his credit, Ogawa had the foresight to bring an umbrella. As such, he managed to stay completely dry and was currently looking down his nose at Tsukino.

Sighing deeply, Matsuda blinked a few times before taking a large gulp of coffee, enjoying the heat against his throat. He knew he handled talking to the press better than most officers. However, doing so always left him exhausted, having to stay on his toes and watch exactly what he said. Matsuda had never been the greatest at choosing his words, and with the press, speaking was like guiding a group of people through a minefield – one misstep and it wasn't good for anyone.

"Alright," he began, "I asked you to read over the files I gave you. Did anything in particular stand out to anyone?" Rising, Matsuda strode to the dry-erase board on the far wall and uncapped a marker.

"The main thing that I noticed is that the victims aren't fighting back even though they should've been able to. You don't see scarring like that on someone who's never been in a fight before," said Tsukino, folding his arms over his stomach, brow pinched in thought. "Is it possible they know the killer?"

Ren spoke up, glancing around the table to each of them. "That was kind of my thought as well. Almost all of them have scarring – internally or externally. I thought they might be apart of some street gang our killer has a vendetta for, or maybe the 'Surgeon' is just a front for another gang. Maybe it's Yakuza? They would have the resources to pull something like this off."

Considering her theory, Matsuda tilted his head back and forth, weighing the idea. Finally, he shrugged. "It's possible I suppose. Though that's not exactly the Yakuza's style ... Either way, I find it hard to believe they wouldn't fight back even if they knew the killer. Especially if they were or had been in a gang. Regardless, it's worth discussing further," the detective added as he went ahead and wrote it on the white board.

Carefully placing his glasses on the table, Ogawa leaned forward. "While I won't say the theory has no merit, I actually have my own idea on why the victims are not struggling."

"Well then, _Ogawa_ , enlighten us," Tsukino said, eyeing the man across the table.

"Perhaps if you gave me more than three seconds, I would," Ogawa deadpanned, rolling his eyes. Tsukino pursed his lips but said nothing to that.

Matsuda repressed a sigh. So far, the team didn't look like it was going to come together as smoothly as he hoped.

"As I was saying," Ogawa continued, rubbing at a speck on his glasses, "I'm certain our victims are being poisoned before death."

Ren's eyebrows furrowed.

Tsukino scoffed. "There's nothing like that on the toxicology report. I already checked into that."

Giving the other man an unimpressed look, Ogawa elaborated, "I have some contacts in that department, so I asked for a list of poisons that wouldn't show up on a normal report. Then I narrowed it down to suit the needs of our killer. As such, it would pose as more of an anesthetic than an actual poison. I can't be certain, but I believe he's using a mixture involving Potassium and KCI – as the Potassium would help dissipate the substance into the bloodstream. I've asked my contacts to look into their potassium levels at the time of death. I'll let you know if anything pans out."

"If that's the case, wouldn't there need to be a needle mark?" Tsukino asked.

Ogawa frowned a bit at that. Ren answered before he could though. "Not if it was in an inconspicuous place like the navel or maybe where their chest wounds were. Even then, with some forms of KCI and Potassium, it's possible to be converted into an inhalant-type drug."

"Yes, exactly that." Ogawa was nodding in approval at her deduction. "Those were my thoughts exactly."

Matsuda wrote his theory on the board under Ren's. "Good work, Ogawa." The detective nodded back at him. "Anything else?" Matsuda asked. With this starting point, the four detectives spent the next few hours discussing theories and constructing an official M.O. for the "Surgeon."

 **~}(3){~**

Two weeks later, Ren was hunched over the desk in her apartment glaring at stack of case files. Despite the combined efforts of some of the departments brightest minds, they had made little to no progress on the case, depending on how one looked at it. Another body had shown up two day previously, and still yet, they had no idea who the mystery woman was – or any of the other victims for that matter.

It was starting to piss Ren off.

A case had never stumped her quite like this before. Part of her wanted to believe it wasn't real. It certainly felt that way considering how _un_ real it seemed. Though she would like to have blamed it on a lack of similar cases to draw from, this killer was too perfect. She hated it. At the very least, she wanted to identify the victims. It embarrassed her that she hadn't been able to find anything on them in the time she had been working. During her time on the force – and even when she was growing up – Ren prided herself on her efficient work ethic. She only had six unsolved cases on her record, and she already resented that number. Adding a seventh was unacceptable – especially for such a high-priority case like this. She refused to let that happen.

But, in all honesty, Ren had reached the end of her rope a while ago – a dead end. She had exhausted every source she knew of with few positive results, not enough to get her anywhere fast in any case.

It sickened her – the realization that they had to wait for the killer to mess up before they caught him. How many people had to die before that happened? What if he never messed up? Shutting down that train of thought, Ren squeezed her eyes shut, smoothing the furrow of her brow with her fingers. First, thinking like that would accomplish nothing, and second, this killer couldn't keep his victims' identities a secret forever. It just wasn't possible. Someone somewhere _had_ to know who these poor souls were. Still, he had managed to keep it a secret for this long ...

All of a sudden, the silence of Ren's apartment unsettled her – the only sound being the tapping of rain on her window. It had been raining off and on since that first day she worked on the case, a fitting atmosphere for such a gruesome case, she thought. A glance at her phone told her it was nearing five in the afternoon. If she remembered correctly, her older sister was off that day, unsurprising since she cut down on her hours at the department. Deciding to get out of the apartment, Ren dialed her sister.

She answered on the third ring. _"Ren? What's up?"_

"I'm stuck on a case, and skulking around my apartment isn't helping me solve it."

" _I don't imagine it would,"_ her sister deadpanned.

"My _point_ was – do you want to grab a coffee somewhere?" Ren continued.

" _Can't. Aki's had a fever all day, so I need to stay with her."_ She paused for a moment. _"But, why don't you come on over? I've got cookies and coffee, and it's as good as anything you'll get a coffee shop anyways."_

Ren rolled her eyes. "Sure, sounds good."

" _Don't roll your eyes at me, Miss Ren Gushike, and don't even try telling me you didn't. I could practically feel your self-righteousness from here."_

"Yes, mom," Ren drawled.

" _Yeah, yeah, whatever. Oh and bring your case files. I'll look them over for-"_ Ren heard her drop the phone and snorted in amusement when she heard the muffled sound of her sister scolding one of her children. Finally, she picked the phone back up. _"Sorry,_ someone _thought it was a good idea to stick a thermometer up their baby sister's nose."_

"It's no worse than when you decided to push me off our roof when I was eight."

" _Hey, we were trying to see if umbrellas really would let you float down."_

"Then why weren't you the one testing it?" Ren asked.

" _Because you were younger and lighter, and if it was only going to work for one of us, it was going to be you, oh golden child. Besides, you climbed up there with me,"_ her sister reasoned.

"Cute," Ren said snappishly. "Really though, we both know Cindy is the golden child, and I fail to realize why you can't grasp that you pushed me off our roof. It wasn't my choice to test it, and I ended up landing on the umbrella. You're lucky I didn't get impaled."

" _Tsk.. It's too bad. I really liked that umbrella,"_ she said, a little dreamily.

"It was my umbrella," Ren muttered to herself.

" _Whatever, just get over here already."_

 **~}(4){~**

And so, not long after that, Ren found herself standing in front of her sister's door, shivering as the rain soaked through her jacket and jeans. _'Hurry up, Hatsumi,'_ she griped in her mind, drawing her satchel closer to prevent the brunt of the storm from hitting it.

Just as she raised a fist to knock again, the door swung open. Her sister frowned, eyeing her drowned-rat appearance sharply. "Where's your umbrella? It's been pouring all day."

"You broke it remember? And, nice to see you too by the way," she snipped. "Can I come in now? My toes are getting stiff."

Hatsumi, who Ren called Sumi most of the time unless she was angry with her dear older sister, stepped aside, sweeping her arm out in a grandiose gesture for 'come in.' The dark-haired girl rushed past her, shucking her dripping cotton jacket and uncomfortably damp shoes on the floor beside the door. Sumi made her way around Ren and towards the kitchen. When the detective moved to follow, a blur of dark hair and blue shirt slamming into her side delayed her. She skidded a bit, wobbled once, and thought about falling before managing to brace her legs. Grinning down at the little boy who was pressing his face into her stomach, Ren wrapped her arms around him.

"Hey, Koki," she said, laughter coloring her voice. "Having a good day?"

The eight year old glanced up at her, scrunching up his face. "No, I don't like math."

She ruffled his hair and laughed again when he started swatting at her hand. "Hang in there, kid. No one likes math." As the boy detangled himself and bounded off into the other room to return to whatever he had been busy with, it reminded Ren – not for the first time – how much he favored his mother.

Shaking her head at him, a small smile on her face, she wandered into the kitchen. If someone had told Ren fifteen years ago that her sister would make a good wife, she would've laughed at them – maybe not to there face, but nonetheless. Out of the three girls, Hatsumi had always been the loud-mouthed, obnoxious, weird one, the one who kissed frogs and yelled back at teachers or anyone else who tried to tell her what to do. Yet, here Sumi was, standing in front of a hot oven, black hair pulled into a low ponytail, and bouncing Aki on her hip as she shuffled cookies from the cooling rack to a plate.

"So," Sumi began, settling Aki into her high-chair then moving to put on some coffee, "which case is it that has you so stumped?"

Plucking a cookie off the plate, Ren sat next to Aki and stuffed a piece of cookie in her mouth. "The 'Surgeon' Cases."

Sumi spun around, eyebrows raised. "They've got you working on that?"

"Yeah, Matsuda recruited me for the team he's put together."

"Hell, don't tell me or anything. God forbid you tell me when you might be doing something dangerous," Sumi muttered as she poured them both some coffee.

Ren shrugged and then realized Sumi couldn't see her. "I just did. Seriously though, I would've if I thought it was important"

Nonplussed, Sumi shook her head at Ren and passed her a mug. After a beat of silence while they both calmly sipped their drinks, her sister spoke. "I examined that very first body you know. This guy's good from what I know. Well, good in the sense that any serial killer can be good."

"Uncannily," Ren agreed.

Taking her own seat, Sumi took another drink of coffee. "Hand over your case files. If I'm gonna help, I need to see what I've missed out on."

Ren obliged, and as her sister went through the files, Ren started making faces at Aki trying to make her laugh. However, the toddler just stared at her, managing to look unimpressed even as she jammed a chubby fist into her mouth. Aki was much more reserved like her father. After this failed attempt, Ren conceded and broke off a piece of cookie before handing it to Aki who cooed successfully as she stuffed the sweet into her mouth. Laughing, a little exasperated by the little girl's behavior, Ren couldn't help the smile that spread across her face. The kid was cute, and she knew it too.

This continued for the next few minutes with Ren handing Aki bits of cookie every so often and gently wiping the little girl's mouth off when she smeared crumbs and chocolate all over it. Because of this, Ren failed to notice the deep scowl that settled on Sumi's face. In fact, it was only when her sister spoke that Ren came out of her reverie.

"I know this woman."

Ren's head snapped up, her eyes locking on Sumi's which still rested on the picture of the fourth victim. "What?" Ren asked, not daring to hope. She had to have misheard her. Why would _she_ know? And how for that matter?

"Ren, you're not stupid... Mostly," Hatsumi scolded playfully – though her voice lacked it's usual mirth. "I said I know who this woman is."

The dark-haired detective scrambled to grab her note book and a pen. Though she may not have been paying much attention at first, she certainly was now. She had so many questions. However, she began with the most pressing first, "Who?"

Hatsumi gave the picture a hard stare as she spoke, like she couldn't quite believe it, and her eyes were dark with a sort of sorrow. "Her name is – or was I should say – Kameko Masuka. She used to work at the department."

Ren quickly wrote the name down. "When did she leave?"

"Shit," she swore as her brow pinched in though. "It was a long time ago.. A _very_ long time ago now... I think it was when all of those people quit a long ways back. Look, I don't know specifics, but if I were you, I'd check through the old records. Her name wouldn't be in the new system."

Ren nodded, standing and gathering her files up. "Did you recognize anyone else?"

Hatsumi shrugged, taking a sip of coffee. "Even if I did, I couldn't name them."

"Thanks, Sis." Ren headed towards the door, but quickly turned around, throwing her arms around Sumi and hugging her tightly before all but running out the door.

Sumi smiled into her drink. "Anytime, kid."

 **~}(5){~**

After several failed attempts, Ren finally managed to jiggle the key just right, and the lock shifted open. Gripping the handle, she gave the drawer a rough yank, and it screeched open. Whenever it was brought up, Chief Aizawa had always explained that the old records were kept under the highest grades of security … An old filing cabinet was one of the highest grades of security it seemed.

However, to his credit, it had taken her the better part of an hour to track down someone with access to the key. When the force updated its records system, they had sealed away the old ones. Mainly, this was because of the existence of the Death Notes. Since the Shinigami were still and always would be an unknown and thus an unpredictable force, there was no way of telling if any of them would give their "gift" to someone else. The old records kept photographs of each officer along with their full names. If anyone with access to a Death Note and a will to avenge Kira got a hold of them, it could end in a massacre. This was why the new records only listed last names and contained no pictures.

And this was why the old ones were sealed away.

Picking through each file, Ren squinted at the folder titles in the flickering lights of the store room. For a moment, Ren feared that her sister had been wrong. She didn't see the name ... But then her eyes landed on it – Kameko Masuka.

Ren bit her lip as she slid the folder out. If Sumi was right, they had their first actual lead. If not though...

Without further delay, Ren snapped the folder open and blinked, an unrestrained grin spreading across her face. The woman in the picture was younger than the victim, but there was no mistaking it. Kameko Masuka was the fourth victim in the 'Surgeon' cases. Ren needed to tell the rest of the team but hesitated. Maybe the other victims were in these files too. Making a quick decision, Ren pulled the drawer completely off its hinges and then sat on the floor, flipping through each file.

Within the next two hours, she'd found them all.

 **~}(6){~**

Matsuda leaned over his desk, hand braced against his forehead as he read another letter sent to the department about his case. It was getting late, and he was the only one there besides the security guards and a few officers who worked the night shift. He would need to head home soon, and in truth, the detective probably should've done so already... However, he kept telling himself to read just one more letter. It might not lead to anything, but they had little else to go on at this point.

Matsuda could tell that his team was growing tired of the lack of results. Hell, he was too, but he'd been through worse. So, he'd press on, but he didn't know how long the others would be able to hold out with no progress. It was hard, and they had never had to deal with something like this before, not to this extent at any rate. So it was hard to predict how they might react, and just how far they would be able to go before reaching that breaking point that most officers had.

Somewhere out there was their killer, and he _would_ mess up soon enough. It was inevitable, and as much as Matsuda hated it, they would just have to be patient and keep scraping against dry ground until they found a lead.

Matsuda tossed the note he'd been reading in the trash and picked up a new one.

If they could just find one solid lead ... well, it wouldn't solve the case, but they'd be in a better position then they were at the moment. It would give them hope, and sometimes, that more than anything would spur on an investigation.

At that moment, a pile of papers were dropped onto his desk, the slam sounding louder in the silence. He flinched back instinctively and glanced up to see Ren grinning – a goofy sort of triumphant grin that he had never seen on the woman that nearly made him laugh – and a layer of dust smeared on her arms .

"Ren?" he questioned, voice relatively even though he knew there was an amused note in there somewhere. Picking up the first file, he realized it came from the department's old records. That would explain the dust... What had she been doing in the old records?

"I found them," she said quietly, like she was telling him a secret, unable to contain the excitement in her voice. "I found our victims."

He froze for a moment, eyes widening. Could that be true?.. He had just been hoping for a lead, and this would be a hell of a lot better than anything he could've hoped for. Then he opened the files up, confirming that they matched the victims exactly.

"Our killer is going after ex-cops," Ren pointed out, reading over his shoulder.

Matsuda looked through the folders, reading a few details about them. They had all quit around the same time ... nearly a decade ago...

Then it clicked.

Matsuda looked up at Ren. "He's not just killing cops. He's killing cops that worked on the Kira case."

 **~}(** _To Be Continued_ **){~**

* * *

 ** _A/N: So there you have it! You finally know the 'Surgeon's' secret and who he's targeting. This should be interesting! Also, I didn't explain it in story since it's a super tiny thing and there hasn't been a place for me to insert it without it seeming clunky. But the detectives have been using the gender term 'he' when referring to the serial killer. Now, they don't know whether it's a guy or not, but for the sake of ease, that's the gender term they will be using. Just thought I'd mention that in case some of you thought you missed something._**

 ** _Anywho! I hope you're all still enjoying this as much as you have been, and thank you so much to everyone who reviewed/favorited/followed this story.. It's all very appreciated, and makes me happy to read._**

 ** _ONWARD!_**

 ** _\- Alyssa_**


	6. Solutions

**Chapter V: Solutions**

" _I lived in those shoes for so long, stepping back into them is easy and almost comforting with the familiarity." - Lindsay Paige_

 **~}(1){~**

Silence clung to Matsuda's announcement. No one said anything, or even wanted to, and if he'd had a knife, the dark-haired detective thought he could probably cut through the tenseness of the atmosphere surrounding them.

As a general rule of thumb, the police force avoided the subject of the Kira case as it was a stark black splotch on their record – the one time that the public had truly lost faith in their ability. A mass murderer had walked the streets of Japan, and they had been unable to catch him on their own. And they never would've been able to catch him through their own means. Sometimes, Matsuda wondered what would've become of Kira if someone like L hadn't stepped in, and as much as he liked to think that the police force could've figured it out on their own with time, he couldn't say that with absolute certainty. The officers still around from that time skated around the subject as a rule-of-thumb though the newer members of the force mentioned it on occasion. However, everyone knew not to bring it up to either Matsuda or the chief. In their case, it was a personal – and touchy – subject.

The idea that someone might've taken it upon themselves to avenge Kira – a murderer, someone who had killed hundreds, who had killed the innocent in his pursuit for godhood. Someone nearly as smart as Light killing once again ... It did not bode well.

"It might be a coincidence," Ren tried, keeping her voice soft as if afraid she might startle him. All of her previous excitement was nowhere to be seen, and though he knew she was just trying to be sensitive with the subject, there was no place for that at the moment. He needed her to know she couldn't afford to tip-toe around the idea just because it was unpleasant for him. However, perhaps on some level, he appreciated the effort.

"Relax, Ren. I'm not going to break," he told her in an attempt at humor though the flatness of his voice belayed that. Laying the folders on the desk, he ran a hand over his mouth and chin. "And this would have to be a hell of a coincidence."

Conceding, she sighed through her nose. "What do you want to do?"

Matsuda glanced at the clock. It was too late to call everyone in, but he found it difficult to sit on the information. Regardless, he knew that wasn't a good call to make. Though this was a good first step, it wasn't going to catch their killer, so there wasn't an actual point to calling everyone in at the moment. Gritting his teeth, frustration obvious in his tone, he decided, "First thing tomorrow, I'll talk to Aizawa. Then we'll tell the team and decide our next move."

Rearing back from him, Ren's face turned incredulous as she protested, "We can't just wait. We finally have a lead, and you just want us to sit on our asses?"

Matsuda clenched his jaw. "You think _I_ of all people don't want to catch this guy?" he demanded, rising to his feet. He understood her problem with sitting around far better than she assumed, and he had _thought_ that would be obvious why they had to make that decision. "Take a look at the clock, Gushike. No one's going to be worth a damn if we call them in now. What are a bunch of exhausted detectives going to do with that information?"

"It's not- we could," she tried, and he raised an eyebrow at her, waiting for her to work it out. Frowning, Ren slumped into her posture a little. "Yeah, I know... It's just," she continued, her brow furrowed, "we've been waiting for something like this for so long now. I'm ready to get moving with this now, and I'm sorry for being so impatient. But damn it, I hate this _'Surgeon.'_ " She held up finger quotes around their serial killer's moniker. "I hate that he's out there, and that we haven't been able to do anything about it.

Knowing exactly where she was coming from, Matsuda scratched the back of his neck. His eyes stared blankly past Ren and towards the back offices. "It's not easy for me to wait around either," he admitted as his eyes focused on her, "but we're not going to catch a killer that's left no evidence in one night."

Sighing through her nose, Ren straightened, and when she looked back at him, her face was calm and collected. "Tomorrow?"

"At the crack of dawn," he affirmed. With that, she turned on her heel and left.

As the sound of Miss Gushike's footsteps faded away, the dark-haired man simply stood there, waiting until she was long gone. Then, easing back into his seat, Matsuda leaned forward, and his face fell into his hands. The Kira Case was over. It had been over for years... So why now? Why would someone wait until now? This new killer was murdering cops. To what? Avenge Kira? Ten years, a decade – why wait so long?

Pulling out his cellphone, Matsuda shot a quick message off to Aizawa. _'We have a lead. Bad news.'_ He huffed in frustration, all but throwing the phone on his desk. For a moment, he considered going home. Of course, sleep was out of the question. He had a thousand thoughts racing through his head. But still, the words he'd told Gushike were still ringing in his mind...

Composing himself, Matsuda booted up his computer and began compiling a list of known Kira supporters.

 **~}(2){~**

The next morning, Aizawa pushed through the doors of the station and made a beeline for Matsuda's desk. When he walked over to the small, normally neat work space, Aizawa caught sight of his friend slumped over his desk. Frowning at him, he glanced around, noting the stacks of paper and folders spread across the desk. And though it wasn't exactly anything new Matsuda's trashcan was overflowing with crumpled papers and Styrofoam cups. At some point, he must've knocked over a stack of files as they littered the floor around one side of the desk. Aizawa hadn't seen him in that bad a shape in a long time.

Stepping around the fallen files, he grasped Matsuda's shoulder, shaking it. The younger detective snapped awake with a sharp breath. Though when he realized it was only Aizawa, he relaxed marginally. "Chief?" he asked, confusion lacing his sleep roughened voice.

Concerned, Aizawa pointedly glanced at the mess surrounding him. "Have you been here all night?" Although Matsuda usually stayed late, Aizawa could count on two hands the number of times he had actually spent the night at the department in recent years. It wasn't good, and it certainly wasn't normal. When he'd woken up to a text from Matsuda talking about bad news, he had been prepared for reports on another victim, possibly more. However, now he was doubting his originally assumption. Either way, something bad had happened indeed.

Realization dawned on him, and the detective rose to his feet. "Yes, I have. It was important."

Aizawa nodded. "You have something for me?"

"You're not going to like it," Matsuda warned, and Aizawa made an impatient gesture for him to come out with it already. Sometimes, not nearly as often as he used to – or perhaps nothing had really changed after all – the younger officer could still frustrate him to no end. "We identified our victims … all of them."

Taking a seat in a near by chair, Aizawa folded his arms over his chest. "I see." Usually, that was a good thing... However, his friend's grim features told another story.

Matsuda gathered a stack of files and held them out to him, his face a foreboding sort of emotionless. "They're all ex-cops... And, they all worked on the Kira Case."

The words simply passed over Aizawa. Partly because he didn't want to hear them, and partly because it couldn't be possible. Could it? That case was far behind them. Years old and settling into the backs of everyone's minds. Retrieving the folders from Matsuda, he sat down in front of the desk. Before cracking open the files, he glanced up. "You're sure?"

He didn't have to hear the answer to know he was. It was practically written on his face. "See for yourself," Matsuda returned simply, gesturing to the folders.

Flipping through each file, he confirmed Matsuda's words. With a deep breath, the Chief allowed his head to slump forward. Another "unsolvable" case … related to Light Ya- Kira. That case always dredged up unpleasant memories for Aizawa as that had been a difficult time in his life. It had almost cost him his marriage. Light's betrayal had both stunned and stung them all. Perhaps it shouldn't have shocked them – considering L had warned them from the beginning. However, the genius detective had said a great number of crazy things – both truthful and not.

Now though, someone had started killing those involved with the case. In his head, Aizawa attempted to estimate how many potential targets there were. When the Kira murders first started, the department had placed the entire force on the case. Then there were those that L brought in along with other agencies that offered support. Quite the list.

It seemed the killer had started small – the ones with no families that quit the force when it all started. However, from what was clear to Aizawa now, he had to be working his way up. It made sense in a grim way. If he started with the ones that lived in obscurity, the ones that had faded from memory, it would stall the police in finding his trail. Of course, the time would have to come when he began to kill more familiar figures. Aizawa only wondered when the time would come.

Glancing up at Matsuda, face blank, he knew what he had to do, and he also knew his friend was not going to thank him for it. But, there was no other option in Aizawa's mind. He paused for a moment longer to take a breath.

"Matsuda, I'm taking you off the case."

His friend's eyes widened. "What? Why?"

"We both know that this new development makes you a massive target."

Angry now, Matsuda crossed his arms. "You _can't_ be serious. That's the reason you're gonna give me?"

"Yes," Aizawa agreed, leaning back in his chair and reigning in his patience. "Not to mention how emotionally invested you are."

"Bullshit! You know me, and keeping me away from this isn't going to help me feel better. Catching this bastard will." He began to pace when Aizawa only met his hard stare with calmness and a touch of understanding. "You can't take me off this." Matsuda pointed a finger at him.

"I've already decided," he firmly stated.

"This is my job, _Chief,_ " Matsuda insisted. "Me, you – we're cops, and we deal with danger on a day to day basis. I'm one of the only – no, the only one left on the force aside from you that has dealt with a serial killer. Or at least one as dangerous as our new guy. You need me on this," he continued as Aizawa closed his expression of – face going blank. "More people will die if we don't get a handle on this, and it's our job to protect people."

Shaking his head, Aizawa caught Matsuda's gaze, seeing the rage, confusion, and pain in his eyes. "I understand where you're coming from. We _are_ cops, and we do protect people, Matsuda. But, I can't let you work on this case. You- we both have too many emotional ties to this case. After everything that happened with Light ..." He cleared his throat before continuing. "Emotions cloud people's judgments. I've seen it time and again. Hell, I used to be the worst for it, and I still can be at times. Not this time. That's why you have to take a step back."

At that moment, Matsuda seemed to realize he was pacing and forced himself to stop. "I'm attached to every case I work on," he scoffed. "This is no different. I have to be. We're human. We're supposed to care about people."

"This is for your own protection. You're a high priory target at the moment," Aizawa reminded him, his voice raising in volume to cover Matsuda's protests. "It's just to big of a risk." Luckily, it was early enough that there were few officers in yet. However, from the corner of his eye, Aizawa realized they were drawing the stares from those who were in already.

"It's not like I've never risked it all before! Just think back to the _actual_ Kira Case. We stayed and worked with L knowing we could die at any moment – that our families could die at any moment! We even quit our jobs to stay. Or at least, I did." Aizawa didn't reply to that – he only closed his eyes with a deep sigh, his patience waning. "I'm not afraid to die, and I need to be on this case. What would Chief Yagami have done in this situation!? He would have never let something like this stop him from _HIS_ investigation! He would've been out in the field himself! Chief Yagami—"

Aizawa slammed his fist on the desk, rising to his feet. "And you saw what happened to him!" He'd had enough. "You saw what happened to him," he repeated. "He's dead now because he worked a case in which he had too much at stake! He should've quit the moment we confirmed Light's guilt. We shouldn't have had to tell his wife that her husband died at the hands of her son who was now facing execution. And I will not allow another friend to die to that bastard, Light Yagami!" By the time he had finished his rant, Matsuda's jaw was clenched as Aizawa held his fiery gaze.

The two stood there for several silent minutes, neither wanting to give in. However, Matsuda was the first to cave and slumped with defeat. "What about my team?"

Thinking for a moment, the police chief asked, "Did you ID the victims on your own?"

"No, it was Ren Gushike who made the connection," his friend answered, composing himself.

"Can she do it?"

"Do what?"

"Do you think she could lead the team?" Aizawa clarified.

Though he could still see the upset in his expression, Matsuda finally nodded. "It was her theory that paid off. Seeing as she is the only one on the force who has made any headway on the case, I'd say she's the most qualified. I've also heard of her work on other cases. She shows promise."

"Let her know then." Aizawa headed for his own office, but Matsuda's voice stopped him.

"One more thing... They're all targets too, you know?" Matsuda straightened, smoothing out a wrinkle in his dress shirt before taking a seat at his desk.

Aizawa nodded, turning to fully face him. At the moment, Matsuda was struggling to keep his features blank, but as a cop and his long time friend, Aizawa could tell how much this new turn in events was bothering him. "It's true, but think about it, Matsuda ... You were the one who made Kira's arrest. Besides you, there's only one higher target in this case. Putting you on the front lines would not be smart for anyone. If we're right about this – and you know we are – he'll work his way up, and if we corner him, he might just strike for the biggest target in his reach.

"Your team doesn't have a personal stake in this like we do, and they're smart. They'll be fine. And besides, they know his MO now. For once, we're ahead of the killer. "

Matsuda ran a hand through his hair. "Of course."

"I know this is hard," Aizawa told him, "but it's for the best."

Matsuda didn't say anything to that, and eventually, Aizawa departed, his footsteps echoing down the hallways of the department and eventually being drowned out by the sounds of the others who were just starting out for the day. However, Matsuda was too lost in his thoughts to hear anything beyond silence.

 **~}(3){~**

Ren sat at the conference room table in her usual spot. By then, she had already gathered the others and was waiting for Matsuda. She could tell the other two were wondering what had happened. Tsukino kept trying to catch her eye, raising a brow pointedly, and although he was trying to be more subtle about it, Ogawa was obviously just as curious. Ren noted the way he sneaked glances at her from time to time whenever he thought she wasn't paying attention. However, she didn't know if Matsuda wanted to tell them himself or not especially after his reaction to her outburst last night. So instead, she had stayed quiet so far, sipping her herbal coffee and ignoring the other two officers.

In truth, Ren couldn't believe she had found an actual lead. Of course, Sumi had all but led her by the hand to it, but Ren had showed her sister the files. So, she reasoned that she at least partially discovered it, a team effort so to speak. Regardless, they had a trail to follow now, and that was more than they could say about the previous month.

She wasn't entirely sure how she felt about the connection Matsuda made. Even if she hadn't worked in depth on the Kira Case, she still considered it a personally failure. In fact, the reason she considered it as such was _because_ she hadn't really worked on it. She had backed down when she could have helped. What if her decision had caused unnecessary deaths? What if one more mind would have been the deciding factor? Perhaps it was vain to think like that, but she couldn't stop the possibilities from entering her mind nonetheless. No, she should've stayed – like the Chief and Matsuda.

Of course, it would've made her a bigger target in this new case. She was a target anyways though. Glancing at the two sitting at the table with her, Ren nodded to herself. They were all targets, and she wondered if it would become a problem ... Would they quit because of it? There _were_ others that could take over, even if they didn't have as much experience. She refused to herself, and she liked to think Tsukino wouldn't either. Although she wasn't as sure about Ogawa since he was a little harder to read, she doubted he would.

Taking another sip of coffee, Ren vaguely wondered what their next move would be. Where was Matsuda? She would've thought he'd been there by now, and he'd have more of an idea on what their plans were.

Apparently fed up with waiting, Tsukino snorted. "Alright, Gushike, you've been cryptic enough for one morning. What happened?"

Should she tell them? What could it harm since Matsuda would let them know in the next few minutes anyways? She hadn't been sure because she wasn't the leader like he was, but it wouldn't make sense for him to withhold anything from the other two because they were just as much a part of this task force as she was. They had a right to know any new information concerning the case. As she glanced between the two, Ogawa nodded at her encouragingly.

"We know who our victims are."

Ogawa slowly raised an eyebrow while Tsukino grinned in triumph. "Really?" Tsukino asked. Ren nodded, unable to stop the small smile tugging at her own mouth at his enthusiasm. "This is just what we needed!"

"That's not all," Ren revealed, lowering her voice unconsciously as she glanced up at the officer who walked by in the hallway. "They're all cops that worked on the Kira Case."

Removing his glasses to polish them, Ogawa asked, "How did you come to that conclusion?"

"Well, Matsuda figured out the part about Kira," Ren explained, leaning forward onto her elbows. "He made the connection by looking at how they all quit around the same time – when all those people quit the force."

"Ah, of course," he replied, pushing his glasses back into place.

Tsukino looked like he was about to say something when the door opened. Nodding to him as he entered, Ren let her eyes skim over Matsuda's form. At that moment, he looked a little worse for wear – black circles under his eyes and hair a little ruffled, as though he had run his hands through it multiple times. His shirt also was untucked, his jacket slung over his arm, a stack of papers in his other hand, and she realized then that he had likely stayed the entire night. A sympathetic frown twitched at the corners of her mouth. When he had first said it, the dark-haired woman had known this would be a big deal for him, and though she hardly pitied him, she would admit that she was upset that he was having to deal with this mess again.

Giving them a quick good morning, he crossed to his seat by Ren. The dark-haired detective carefully straightened his papers before setting them to the side. "I'll get right to it," he said as he folded his hands over the table. "We finally have a solid lead."

"We heard." Tsukino grinned again, leaning back nonchalantly. "Gushike filled us in."

Matsuda glanced over at Ren.

She nodded. "I assumed it would be okay since you would tell them anyway, and this way we don't have to waste time."

He held up a hand. "It's fine," he dismissed. "Actually, you should get used to making your own decisions."

As his words registered, a wave of confusion swept over the room.

"Why do you say that?" she asked, tucking a piece of hair behind her ear. She knew cops needed to be able to make good decisions. However, usually when working on a team, it was best to consult the one in charge first, so his statement was a little odd.

Matsuda began to speak, hesitated, then took a breath to steel himself. Expression blank, he said, "Chief Aizawa thinks it's best if I'm off this case, considering my ... history with it." He paused a moment to let that sink in. "I've decided to let Gushike take over the task force since she ID-ed our victims."

Tsukino hopped to his feet. "That's crap!" He glanced at Ren. "Not about you taking over," the man clarified as though realizing how his words might have come off. However, she just waved him off, understanding what he meant. She felt the same way actually. Turning back to Matsuda, he continued, "You have as much a right to be here as any of us."

Matsuda gave him a tight smile, but shook his head. "The chief and I already discussed it; he thinks it's for the best, so it's for the best."

"I suppose since our killer is going after those who worked on the Kira Case, it would be foolish to deliver one of his biggest targets straight to him," Ogawa mused.

The dark-haired man nodded. "That's what Aizawa thought too."

Ren still hadn't said anything since the announcement. She could only stare, eyes slightly widened. Of course, she knew she should feel honored. Apparently, Matsuda thought she was capable enough to handle the task force, and she needed to thank him. However, Ren hadn't expected this, and it felt ... strange, unreal. And she still felt like it wasn't right to cut Matsuda out like this. He was a good officer, far better than herself, and it was wrong for him to have to step down all of a sudden.

Over the years, the detective woman hadn't led many teams – especially not for a case this important. Most of the time, Ren worked on her own or with a partner, but even that was different. When it came to partnerships, status was equal. One didn't need to ask permission – though it was best to share thoughts – before taking action. True, it was working with other people, but it wasn't like leading them. People looked to leaders for answers. Ren knew she was no leader. She never had been.

Still, they had put enough trust in her to offer her this in the first place. It had already been decided, and she would be damned before she let them know that she didn't think she was a good leader.

Gathering her resolve, Ren's gaze hardened, and she nodded to Matsuda. "I won't let you down," she promised. If she didn't do this, then someone else would have to. If Chief Aizawa had decided that Matsuda had to step down, then it didn't matter who protested it at this point. The two officers were close, and it was obvious to anyone with eyes that this was a way of protecting the other man. Someone had to lead. If not her, then who?

"Just ... catch this guy." The room settled into silence, the occupants chewing over this turn in events.

Matsuda slid the stack of papers near him towards Ren. "These are all the files on our victims, the case, and the killer's MO. Oh, and I stayed late last night putting together a list of Kira supporters and groups. That's in there too." He stood. "If you need another officer on the case, I can let Aizawa know."

"I think we'll be fine," Ren told him. "But I'll keep it in mind." Even if she hadn't led teams very often, she was still a good detective. And, she _would_ catch this guy. There was no reason for the department to waste resources when the ones they already had were perfectly capable of taking care of it on their own.

Nodding, Matsuda headed for the door. "Alright. If that changes, let me know. If you'll excuse me, I had to talk to the Chief anyways."

"Matsuda," the dark-haired woman called before he could leave. "I just wanted to thank you, and feel free to check in on any progress we make," she told him pointedly.

An amused gleam entered his eyes, and with a wan smile, he nodded. "That's promising at least.. And you're welcome." With that, the door shut behind Matsuda, and the conference room was thrust into an uncomfortable silence. No one was exactly sure what to say. If Ren couldn't believe she'd found a lead, this was another beast entirely.

Finally, Ogawa broke the silence, gently prodding, "What's our next move, Miss Gushike?"

Uncertain, she ran a hand through her hair. What _was_ their next move? She had been waiting for Matsuda's input. But now, it was her decision. Thinking about it, she knew they needed to check out their victims residence, and acquaintances – if there were any. But first ...

"Call a press conference," she decided, a frown twisting her lips at the idea even if she knew it was . "The public needs to know they're not in danger."

 **~}(4){~**

Matsuda stood next to Aizawa in the back of the crowded room, watching the people mill around as they waited for Ren's arrival and the start of the press conference. "I'll admit, I'm surprised by her first decision," he said, raising his voice to be heard over the drone of the crowd.

Aizawa nodded. "It wouldn't have been my first choice either, but I'm sure she has her reasons."

Glancing back at the crowd, Matsuda didn't reply to that. In truth, he supposed he understood her logic behind holding the conference. However, he would have gone a different direction and used their knowledge as an advantage. This conference would put the killer on his guard... Not that he had been leaving many loose ends as it was.

Perhaps she hoped to rattle the killer by letting him know they were on his trail. Matsuda doubted that would work. This killer was too smart for that, and he knew too well how good smart killers were at masking their reactions. If anything, he might take it as a challenge, which could be a problem.

Suddenly, a hush fell over the crowd as Ren's shoes clicked across the stage. She had dressed for the occasion, wearing black slacks, a white blouse, complete with a pair of heels, and her hair was styled. She really was putting on her best front for this. When she reached the podium, she cleared her throat, smoothing out a non-existent wrinkle in her shirt. Finally, she spoke. "Thank you all for coming. I'm detective Gushike with the Kanto Region Police Department." She took a deep breath, presumably to calm herself. Though it could've been a trick of the light, Matsuda thought her hands were shaking, and he realized how nervous she was about this. Regardless, she moved to grip the sides of the podium, effectively hiding the problem if there was one.

"I've gathered you all here to discuss the 'Surgeon' Cases" The response was immediate. Cameras flashed, and dozens of voices rose up both in question and fearful outrage. Ren looked panicked for a moment before holding up a hand to silence them. "W-we've identified our victims, so we finally know how and why our killer is choosing victims."

Another round of murmurs sprang up, but she ignored them, pressing forward, the tremble in her voice unmistakable though she was keeping a hold on it. Matsuda was beginning to feel a little uneasy with her appearance. From his knowledge, she didn't deal with the press often if at all, and now it was beginning to show. Truthfully, he felt a little bad for her. It wasn't easy to be under such scrutiny. However, it had been her own decision, so he hoped she could deal with it. "The killer is kil- targeting cops who previously worked on the Kira Case – at least in passing ... I'll take questions now," she added. Glancing around as hands shot up, she settled on a female reporter sitting on the front row.

"If the killer was targeting officers the entire time, why has it taken so long for the department to identify them?"

Ren swallowed. "Um, with the way our records are set up, they weren't in the new system ... And, because they haven't been apart of the force for nearly a decade, which is why they weren't in the new system..."

More flashes went off as Ren pointed to another reporter.

"Where's Detective Matsuda, and why isn't he here explaining these new developments?"

"Well, due to the ... nature of this case and his history with it, I've been promoted to head detective," she explained.

"How did he react to this?"

She frowned for a moment, but quickly recovered, pasting on a very fake smile. "He accepted it goodnaturedly." Matsuda heard Aizawa snort beside him. "And, I-I'm very grateful for the opportunity to prove myself," she finished clasping her hands behind her back."

"So, you're saying you've yet to lead an investigation?"

Her eyes widened. "What? No! Many times- I've been with the department for years, and I've done it before, just not for a case like this." Ren seemed to realize her mistake a second too late.

"You mean the police aren't putting their most experienced detective on these cases?"

Another reporter spoke up. "Are you fit to actually be in charge of this investigation?"

"Why were you chosen out of, say, an officer that's been with the force longer?"

The questions kept coming. Ren tried to stutter out a response to some of them. However, her eyes were wide and kept flickering around, her voice uncertain.

Matsuda frowned, whirling around to face Aizawa. "She's panicking. I knew she wasn't ready for this."

"None of them were," Aizawa replied, mouth pressed into a grim line.

Just then, Ren raised her voice, asking for silence. The two senior detectives returned their attention to the woman on the stage, their gazes expectant. She took a deep breath before she glanced back up, her eyes scanning over the crowd, and this time, Matsuda could see the determination returning to her eyes. She looked more like herself than she had since taking the podium, and he smiled encouragingly when she met his gaze. "Look," she began, "I've been with the department for ten years." She straightened, holding her head a little higher, the tremble working its way out of her voice. "Yes, it's true I've never led an investigation of this caliber before ... But keep in mind, none of the remaining officers besides detective Matsuda and Chief Aizawa have ever even been a part of a serial killing case of this scope." She paused to let that sink in. "This city hasn't _needed_ to deal with a case this big for nearly as long as I've been on the force," she stated.

"But, rest assured, I _am_ qualified to lead this case, and to the one who asked, I was chosen because I found the key to identifying our victims, not by random. The decision to put me in charge was not a whim, or because there was no other option. I'm here because I _deserve_ to be. The police department would never do anything that would put people at risk unnecessarily.

"Yes, I've never dealt with a case this big. But, I'm honored and humbled by the opportunity to do so," she explained, holding her hands out, palms up. "I know how much faith and trust is placed on my shoulders ... And I will do everything I can to make sure it's not misplaced."

After she finished, half the crowd broke into applause while the other half shouted more questions. However, Ren just apologized, saying she had work to do, and made her way out of the room.

Matsuda glanced over at Aizawa who had a pensive look on his face – though it was less grim than before. "Maybe she _can_ pull this off," he admitted.

His friend half-smiled back. "I still don't think I would've gone this route ... But, she did accomplish her goal without too much of an upset, all things considered. Perhaps we should see about having someone else handle her press in the future though."

"Let's hope she can keep this up."

The two turned, leaving behind the din of the crowd.

 **~}(** _To Be Continued_ **){~**

* * *

 _ **A/N:**_


	7. Risks

_**A/N: *checks calendar* ... *winces* So you've probably noticed that I didn't post a chapter for the past two weeks. My sincerest apologies. Life was crazy busy, and then my computer was broken. Nearly lost all the files on it too... That would've been really, really, terribly bad. Anywho, as compensation, enjoy this really long chapter. Glad to be updating again. Hope y'all enjoy!**_

* * *

 **Chapter VI: Risks**

" _The truth is, unless you let go, unless you forgive yourself, unless you forgive the situation, unless you realize the situation is over, you cannot move forward." - Dr. Steve Maraboli_

 **~}(1){~**

Running a hand through her short hair to smooth it down unnecessarily, Ren strode down the sidewalk, heading for the nearest fast food restaurant to grab a bite to eat before heading home. It had been a long and strange day to be sure, but Ren was satisfied with what they had accomplished for now. To be honest, the detective had felt a little off-kilter all day after receiving her surprise promotion. Though she was used to making decisions that concerned her own personal work, it was odd to decide on a direction for an entire team to take. At first, she had worried that either Tsukino or Ogawa would've been upset with her being the one in charge all of a sudden. However, the two had assured her early on that they were completely fine with her leading them, and that helped to take off most of the pressure.

On the other hand... that press conference had been brutal. If she hadn't still thought informing the public was a necessary first step, Ren might've regretted her decision to hold it at all... Shaking her head at herself, the dark-haired woman pressed her mouth into a thin line. It was her fault she reacted so badly, not theirs, and she should've prepared herself for all the questions. They were reporters, the press; it was their job to question each and every little thing. Knowing that, it was her own fault for letting her nerves get the better of her. That aside, Ren had never been good with people to begin with, much less crowds. Her strength was in analyzing matters from a distance, and there was no shame in that. That's why she usually left the press to other officers.

In this case though, she was heading the investigation and wanted to prove she was up for it, so she had been prepared to pull out all the stops – to really take charge of this thing. Now though, Ren was worried that she came out of that conference looking more incompetent than she had going in. She'd spotted Matsuda and the Chief almost as soon as she walked out... They had watched her flounder in the face of all those questions. Ren felt a scarlet blush heat her cheeks as she pushed through the doors of a cheap burger joint. Did they regret putting her in charge? She hoped not.

Despite the late hour, several customers were milling about the restaurant either eating or chatting with friends, and after she placed a quick to-go order, Ren sat while she waited for them to finish preparing her meal.

 _'It could've been worse,'_ she reminded herself, frowning at the negativity of her thoughts. She really needed to stop that. If she didn't, the detective would only continue to question herself and any decisions she made regarding the case. At least she had sort of pulled herself out of the hole she'd been digging. Perhaps they didn't think her too inept ... yet. Ren rolled her eyes at herself.

Either way, it was finished, and she couldn't change it any more.

 _'Next time,'_ she promised herself, _'next time, I'll be ready.'_ Or maybe she would leave the press to Tsukino, who was much more adept with dealing with these sorts of things. At the least, she would ask him for a few pointers regarding the subject.

The cashier finally called her number, so she retrieved her food and headed for her apartment. As she started to enter the lobby of her building, she noticed the crowd of tenants standing around and her feet paused of their own accord. For one horrifying moment, she worried they had watched her press conference and came down to mock her for her stammering. Then she realized just how stupid that thought was. She wasn't a high schooler who flubbed her lines in the school play. She _should_ just pull herself together and push through like the grown woman she was. Even if they were talking about her, so what? They likely wouldn't call her out on it ... But then again, what if they did?

Mouth pressed into a thin line, her mind screamed at her to stop being stupid, but her feet decided not to risk it. It would be easier to take the fire escape. As she made her way around the building, not quite running, but footsteps slightly hurried, Ren cursed her cowardice the whole way. She wasn't _that_ pathetic ... not normally anyways. This case must have had her mind in more of a frenzy than she first thought if she was _this_ worried about how she had been portrayed by the media.

That didn't stop her embarrassment over climbing through her window to avoid people.

Ignoring her thoughts that called her ridiculous, she trotted up the three flights of stairs to reach her apartment Cheeks dusted with pink, not entirely from the jog upstairs, she heaved the window open and clambered inside. After she brushed her hands off on her pants, Ren closed the window back behind herself.

Walking towards her kitchen and pulling a handful of fries from her take-out bag, she saw the blinking light of her answering machine. After tossing her work bag aside, she hit the "play" button.

" _Hey, Ren."_ It was Sumi. _"I just thought I'd make sure you were alright. Also,_ you _found the lead? Thanks for the credit,_ Sis _. Anyways, call me back ..."_

Ren shook her head, pressing her face into her palms. She had done so bad her sister felt the need to check on her? Her sister had asked if she was alright... _Sumi_ had asked if she was alright. She had only made one wise-crack in that entire message. Frustrated, she shoved another handful of fries in her mouth. Whatever, it didn't matter to her ... Not one bit.

Later, after she had finished eating and was dressing for bed, her fingers brushed the edges of a book hidden amongst the clothing in her dresser She paused a moment, then shrugged. _'Why not? It's been a while,'_ she thought as she pulled the thick, worn journal out of the drawer. The journal had been a gift from Cindy, her younger sister, after Ren's graduation from the police academy. She hadn't really known what to do with it at first, seeing as she hadn't really needed a journal – diary, as Sumi insisted – in the first place, but over the years, she had written a few entries in it...

Actually, it gave her an idea tonight. Maybe she could keep her own written record of the investigation. It would help her keep everything straight and get a better hold on her thoughts just in case she needed to hold another press conference any time soon. She nodded to herself. If nothing else, it would make the paperwork easier later-on.

Ren spent the rest of the evening jotting down everything that happened in the case to date.

 **~}(2){~**

Otomi Rinukata whistled while he made his rounds. Although delivering mail was not the most glamorous or exciting job, he enjoyed it for what it was. Following his route always gave him time to think, and he liked the peace and quiet it brought with it. He was good at his job too. He'd never been late on his deliveries – not once, and his higher-ups knew it too.

That was why he had the most sought after route more often than anyone else in his division. Unlike some of his co-workers, he didn't have to go through the outskirts of the city or any unsavory neighborhoods. No, he had a nice, safe route. In fact, it even took him by the police station. The people were friendly, and the ones that weren't had the courtesy to not cause him trouble.

All in all, he was completely satisfied with his job.

It was in the middle of his route that he'd felt a twinge of unease. That was why he had started whistling since it always helped take his mind off such feelings. However the feeling refused to go away today. So, he put his feet on auto-pilot and tried to identify the source of the sensation... But nothing was wrong. He couldn't think of a single reason he would feel uneasy. Otomi shrugged. Perhaps he'd left a light on at home.

Slipping mail through one of the residents' door slots, he came out of his reverie. It wouldn't do to think on such things, and he was better off ignoring them. As he turned to leave though, he heard a squelch underfoot.

Strange, it hadn't been raining that day ...

The mailman glanced down at his feet. Blood had seeped under the door and soaked into the "welcome" mat. Now, it was staining his shoes and leaking through to his feet ...

Otomi screamed, stumbling back. Later, he would remember hearing some strange noises coming from the house. However, in his current panic, it failed to register. Turning, he bolted, his shoes squelching with every step.

He left red footprints in his wake.

 **~}(3){~**

Although she wasn't first on the scene, or even second, the moment the responding officers realized whose body they were dealing with, they called in Ren and her team.

It hadn't taken long for Ogawa, Tsukino, and Ren to arrive at the scene of the crime, and they had arrived by mid-morning. Why would it take long when it was only a five minute walk from the station? That was the first tidbit of information that put Ren on edge. The responding officers had set up a tape barrier, and Ren left Ogawa and Tsukino to speak to one of them about everything they might've done to the scene since their arrival. Even though they were officers just like her, a lot of the time, there were mistakes made in preserving evidence, and they needed to make sure that hadn't been done here before beginning their investigation in earnest. Meanwhile the dark-haired detective woman headed over towards the body.

This was ... different.

Contrary to the previous scenes, the body lay, splayed out, his head facing away from the door, arms laid parallel to the torso, legs spread as well. Both wrists and femoral arteries had been slashed with a thin, singular incision, allowing blood to pool around the body. The blood had spilled under the door and onto the porch, From the amount present at the scene, the victim would've been alive at the time. Their heart would've had to have been beating to pump it out at that volume. Before his death, the victim must've been relaxing as he was dressed in a thick robe and pajama pants.

Another officer, a man she vaguely recognized as Officer Haramai, came out to meet her. He had been the one on call this morning when it came in it seemed. Glancing over at the body for a moment and grimacing, the other man pulled Ren onto the porch with a warning to watch her steps and avoid the blood that glistened macabrely in the morning sun. With how much blood that covered both the body and the surrounding area, the scent of iron hung in the air, overpowering and thick. If Ren had been a less seasoned officer than she was, it might've made her gag. Even as she was, it was enough to make her regret eating a big breakfast that morning.

"This is how we found him," Haramai began, somber faced as he nodded towards the body. My partner was running late, so we haven't disturbed the body itself yet. Then when we did realize it was one of yours, we backed off entirely." Ren's eyes wandered back to the body. In truth, it was difficult to keep her eyes off it. This was brutal. It was too messy to be their killer, right? Shaking her head in disbelief, she swallowed thickly. "But, we did find his- Hey! Are you even listening?"

Her gaze snapped back to the officer. "Huh? Yes, I am," she told him, only half-truthful.

Though he obviously doubted her sincerity – rightfully so, she admitted to herself – he continued, "We found his badge upstairs." The officer handed her the small, police-issued badge.

Ren frowned. This was the victim's badge? It was the same model as hers... Meaning it was the most recent one. Brow furrowing, she thought back. It hadn't been changed all that long ago either... Less than a year, she would wager.. This was an active duty officers. Gasping, she glanced back at the body. Did she know him? Had one of her friends been killed? Surely she would've recognized ... But with all the blood. No, she realized a moment later as she examined the victim's features a little more closely. She didn't know him. Personally anyways. However, he did look familiar.

"Who is he?"

"This is Officer Morino," he answered, eyes downcast in respect. "That's why we called you. The Chief sent out a memo yesterday saying all bodies of officers, previous or otherwise, were to be reported to your team. "

Ren nodded along, only half-listening again as she studied the curve of Morino's jaw, no signs of death beyond the unnatural white pallor of his skin. He could've been sleeping for how peaceful he looked, yet the finality of the stillness surrounding him belayed that sensation. And there was no mistaking the sobriety of the atmosphere for anything less than what it was already. Another officer had died on their watch, and the entire department would mourn this loss in their own way.

"If I'm honest," he continued, "I'm not sure this is the work of WIK."

Her attention recaptured by his words, the detective woman gave him a confused look, unsure what he was talking about. "Who's WIK?"

At first, he gave her a look like she was being ridiculous. However, after a moment, he seemed to realize she was being serious and gave a little huff of surprise. "I guess you haven't watched the reports about your conference," he assumed, and she nodded her agreement. She hadn't been able to bring herself to watch what was sure to be a cringe-worthy picking apart of her statements. Shaking his head, Haramai continued, "Well, it's the new name the public's assigned the killer, given the true nature of his crime. WIK's an anagram. It stands for 'With Intent for Kira.'"

"I see," she responded, nodding. She wasn't sure what to think of the new name, but at least it was short and to the point. Getting back on track, she asked, "Why do you think it's someone else?"

"One of the guys that knew Morino said he was going through a rough divorce. Custody battles with the wife, the works. With how clean this scene is-" At her dry look, he clarified with a circular gesture, "No disturbance in the blood or nothing, I think we might be dealing with suicide. Sad as it is, it seems pretty likely to me."

Ren shook her head. As horrid as it made her feel, she wished it _had_ been a suicide, but it wasn't. If it was suicide, this crime wouldn't be on her head. However, even being there for a few moments had already assured her that this was a murder. "If that's the case, what did he use to cut himself? Where's the knife?"

The officer didn't have a comeback to that since there wasn't one. Someone had taken the murder weapon with them, something she had noticed the moment she arrived. Clearing his throat, Haramai shrugged, rubbing the back of his neck, and said, "In any case, my team and I will keep the press out while you investigate. It's the least we can offer Morino. A man named Otomi Rinukata, the mailman, found the body. He's off in a little area we set up around the side of the house there." He jabbed a thumb over his shoulder.

Ren nodded. "Thank you, Officer Haramai."

"No problem." He returned her nod before heading off towards the edge of the police-tape where a few civilians were mulling about.

This was all her fault.

It had to be. This had to be a direct response to her revealing their killer's target scope. Even if it wasn't ... WIK who killed Morino, it was likely someone trying to copy him and take the spotlight for themselves, and that wasn't any better. Throughout history, copy-cat killers had been an issue in investigations like these, and with his actual M.O. revealed, they knew exactly who to go after... Would Morino have died if she had chosen differently? Probably not. At least not this day.

Now that she had heard his name, she remembered him. They never spoke beyond passing greetings in the hallways of the station, but she still _knew_ him. She had seen him a few days ago ... Now, he was dead. Because of Ren, he was dead.

That thought kept repeating over and over. It was at this exact moment that the true weight of leading this case began to press down on her. How had she dared to treat this as some sort of opportunity? People were dying. _Officers,_ her _co-workers,_ were dying, and any decisions she made about this would directly affect those outcomes. She felt herself beginning to go into hysterics and stubbornly stomped down on the rising feeling. Clenching her fists, she closed her eyes, breathing deeply. Now was not the time for hysterics, she reminded herself firmly. _'I was chosen by Matsuda..'_ She knew there was a reason she was here. She was a good officer, and Ren needed to keep a clear head if she was going to be of any use to anyone. _'I can't let them down. I'll stop this WIK. I can do it.'_ When she felt sufficiently calmed down, Ren headed over to where Tsukino and Ogawa were discussing one of the previous victims' locations in relation to the latest.

"Alright," the dark-haired detective woman huffed, forcing her hands to relax. "This case is ... different from the others obviously. We don't know for certain it was our killer, or WIK as the public is now calling him. But, it's best to assume that it was him for the time being given the identity of the victim."

Ogawa nodded. "Of course."

"Who was it?" Tsukino questioned, a frown tugging the edges of his mouth downward.

Throat tightening, Ren continued, toneless. Now was not the time for emotion. She needed to show them she was strong enough to handle it. "The latest victim was identified as Officer .. Officer Morino." She let the statement hang knowing the impact it would have on them. The other victims had been nameless faces to them, faces that had vanished from the department and memory years ago. Morino was different. Morino was someone they saw on a weekly basis.

"Morino?" Tsukino blurted, eyes wide with disbelief. "Officer Zutinori Morino?"

Shit. Ren averted her eyes and mumbled a 'yes.' Suddenly, she felt guilty over the minor relief she had been feeling that she barely knew the man. There were those who did, and apparently Tsukino was one of them.

The distressed detective ran a hand through his hair. "He was a friend is all ..." Tsukino trailed off with a cough. His jaw was tight, and if she looked a little closer, Ren wondered if she would see tears in his eyes. However, the man was clearly trying to avoid being overly emotional, so as a sign of respect, she avoided looking to closely or pointing it out. He probably didn't want her pity anyways. IF she was in his position, she wouldn't have. As it was, Ren felt sick to her stomach. This was all her fault. Composing himself, Tsukino noticed the guilt on her features. Despite his own sorrow, he reached out and patted her shoulder. "Look, I- you did what you thought was right ... And that's all anyone can do. It would've come out eventually anyways."

Looking towards the body, the blood visible even where they were standing, Ogawa shook his head at the scene. "That may be, Tsukino. But perhaps you should've held on to our lead a little longer, Miss Gushike," he told her harshly, and she saw a little anger behind his eyes. That was likely his way of dealing with the grief, and damned if Ren didn't feel like she deserved his animosity at the moment. "It would've suited our purposes better, and Morino would likely still live."

Tsukino glared at him, not in any sort of mood to put up with him. "Shut it, Ogawa. How could she have known this would happen?"

Shrugging off Tsukino's hand, Ren waved him off dismissively. "Thanks for the support, Tsukino, but he's right." She sighed, exhaustion creeping into her voice. This was a terrible start to the day, and seeing the weight of her choices had taken it out of her already. "This _is_ my fault, and maybe I shouldn't have held the press conference so soon." Looking over the scene again, she steeled herself against the way her stomach dropped at the sight. "I knew this was a possibility, but ... not like this." The detective woman shook her head to clear it. "Regardless, what's done is done, and we need to get to work. Tsukino, I want you to help me with the body."

"No," he said, brusquely shaking his head. Then, having spoken with more vehemence than he intended, the tall man lowered his voice to a more even tone. "I'm sorry, but I don't think I can help with this one," he explained, hands clasped behind his back. "I just .. Not Mori."

Cursing herself for being so insensitive, Ren nodded at him. "Of course. Sorry, I wasn't thinking."

"It's fine," he told her, voice distant. "Ogawa's better with that sort of stuff anyways."

"We'll use the same procedure as last time then," she amended with a nod. "Tsukino, you ..." Ren paused, thinking for a moment. "You know what? If we're going to be a team, we need to start acting like it. Would you two be willing to be on a first name basis from now on?" Alright, so it was a little bit juvenile. However, Ren thought it was called for at the moment. Even if it felt a little awkward at first, the familiarity would be nice later on, and after being faced with the death of Morino and knowing that more would come, she wanted them to be able to talk more freely with both her and each other. It would not be an easy case for any of them, and considering their current pace, more would die before they came to the end of it.

Yuya Tsukino managed a half-smile and gave her an amused look. "Fine by me, umm."

"You don't know my first name, do you?"

"No, no. I do," he swore, and she gave him a moment to try and think of it. However, it was clear to her that he had no idea what it was.

"Ren," she finally told him, "for future reference." With a sheepish shrug, he just smiled at her. Then the two glanced over at Ogawa, who had yet to say a word since her question.

Although he rolled his eyes first, Koji Ogawa just shrugged waving them off with a shooing gesture. "I suppose," he said distastefully, and though Ren thought he wanted to say more, the refined-looking man kept his silence. Whatever it was, she assumed it wasn't too important to him if he wasn't willing to just say it. Perhaps he was just unimpressed with such informality.

He'd get used to it. Satisfied, Ren nodded. "Yuya, I'd like you to go speak with Otomi Rinukata. Officer Haramai told me he's just around the corner next to the ambulances. Koji, with me." The two gave their agreements, and she sighed with relief. It was strange to address them casually, but not in the bad way, and that they were willing to allow it gave her a little more peace than she had been feeling since their arrival on the scene. It made her feel like they really were a team.

Yuya walked over to the body with them, and neither Ren nor Koji said anything, knowing he needed this moment. Shaking his head sadly, the tall, kind detective mumbled to himself, "Poor Mori ... You deserved a helluva lot better than this. We'll get this guy, I swear it."

Hearing his promise, the detective woman felt another wave of sorrow and guilt as Yuya made his way towards Rinukata to begin his task. He really was a good person, and it upset her that her decision had caused this. He didn't deserve it, and Morino sure as hell didn't either. In her head, Ren echoed the promise that Yuya had made. Except she made it for Yuya's sake – for the entire department's sake. WIK had to be taken down. Somehow, even though nothing could truly be made right about the current scene before her, she would make up for her mistakes. She would fix this.

Refocusing back on the crime scene, the detective came to another realization. She wasn't exactly sure how to start with this body. There wasn't an inch of ground within arms reach of the body not covered with blood. Had their precise, clean killer really been the one to do ... this? It seemed so out of character for him. A copy-cat seemed likely, but at the same time, their killer could be evolving. She had pushed at WIK with her press conference, so he was pushing back. That was her assessment.

With another deep frown, she decided her best bet would be to stand near the head. That seemed to be the clearest part anyways since the arms were to the sides. First, they needed to photograph the crime scene though. After they finished this task, Ren and Koji retrieved two white, plastic suits with matching pairs of gloves, putting them on to avoid both contaminating the evidence and the possibility of infection from the hazardous substances.

Before she could move towards the body, Koji's voice drew her attention, his voice clipped and terse. "Ms. Gushike, I didn't speak up earlier, but please refer to me as Ogawa," he said, arms crossed. "I apologize, but going by first names feels unprofessional. I would prefer if we carry on as before."

"Very well, Officer Ogawa," she said coolly, her expression even. "I won't force you to – though I am disappointed. Is this really how you feel?"

He pushed his glasses up before nodding. "I believe it's better this way."

Ren turned away from him with a sigh. Obviously, that was what he had wanted to say earlier. She was irritated with him but knew she had more important things to focus on. Cringing as she took her first step into the blood pool, Ren watched it ripple away from her feet, sliding further into Morino's house. It was still cooling and nowhere near dry. That was odd.

"Do you know how long it would take for blood to dry?" she asked Ogawa as he checked around the room for any other signs of their killer.

"For a pool of this size? ... A while. At least to completely dry, but this does seem very fresh," he explained, crouching next to a larger scuff mark on the floor. It could've come from their killer, but it was probably just the usual wear.

"That's what I was thinking."

Ren ignored her rolling stomach as she took another step and crouched next to the body. Carefully, she picked up one of Morino's wrists, holding it closer for inspection. The sleeve of his robe gingerly slid down his arm leaving a smear of red in its wake, sticky with blood.

Definitely not a suicide. No one in that state of mind could be so precise, and seeing such precision also caused her to doubt her copy-cat theory. Very few would be able to manage something like this, and as per usual, there were no obvious signs of struggle. The cut was perfectly parallel to the artery. Even if someone could manage one cut like that on themselves, she seriously doubted they could do it four times in a row with the compounding pain and blood loss. The other arteries had been cut just as precisely.

Since there weren't any signs of struggle or indications that the victim had been bound, Ren reasoned the killer would've needed a powerful sedative to keep them from waking up, and she reminded herself to ask Ogawa later to try to run another trace on the exacts of what was in it. At least Morino hadn't felt much pain. Or that's what she told herself, hoping to ease the guilt tearing at her insides. It didn't help. And, that little thought from earlier kept nagging at her.

Getting back on track, she knew she needed to send a blood sample to forensics. No short supply of that.

Pulling out a syringe, Ren thought aloud. "It's odd that WIK would've changed his MO so drastically. I mean, he doesn't need to remove fingers or teeth anymore since we figured out his pattern, but it didn't seem like him to be so messy."

"Perhaps he wishes to throw us off?" Ogawa offered, having joined her by the body.

She considered it. "Maybe... I thought maybe he'd at least continue with the chest wounds, something. It really fit with the persona he's been constructing." That led her to a realization, and she glanced up, meeting Ogawa's gaze. He seemed to have realized it at the same time she did. "Officer Ogawa, doesn't there seem to be an excessive amount of blood directly on the victim considering the wounds and body position?"

Nodding in approval, he agreed, "Indeed, Ms. Gushike."

She bit back on the urge to tell him to call her Ren and just said, "Help me get his robe open."

Obliging, he moved around to the other side of the body, and together, they eased the sides of the robe open, taking care with undoing the ties, not wanting to jog the body any more than necessary. However, the robe was heavy with blood and had begun congealing to the corpse. When it was fully opened, surprise flashed across Ren's face at the sight of a long injection needle sticking into the victim's chest instead of the usual puncture mark. He had never left the needle there before, and though they had already predicted that that was the type of murder weapon, it would be a good piece of evidence to catalog. Only an inch was visible, which was why it went unnoticed for so long.

Impaled on the needle, hovering just above the wound, was a small scrap of paper, no larger than a greeting card. A few splotches told that it had once been white, but now it was mostly scarred red. Carefully sliding it off the needle, trying to refrain from ripping the fragile paper, Ren examined it, still able to make out the words despite the blood. It contained the simple message: "The game is afoot."

 _'He thinks this is a game?'_

Handing it off to Ogawa, she remarked, "This is new."

Brow pinched in concentration, he nodded. "Indeed."

 **~}(4){~**

Otomi Rinukata clutched a blanket that someone had given him to his chest. He couldn't remember who had handed it to him or how long he'd had it or even how long he'd been there, but he did know it didn't seem to give off any real warmth. It was just something to hold on to – which he admittedly needed. An untouched cup of coffee sat next to him as he stared at nothing. The sounds of human bustle were muted, but still within hearing distance, as was the drone of the city. And at the moment, the postal worker was trying to determine whether that was a comfort to him or not.

Perhaps it was silly, but he jumped at every sudden noise. All he wanted was to go home, where it was safe ...

Or was it really?

That man had been safe in his home when he was killed, and he lived in a safer neighborhood than Otomi. A shiver crawled down his spine. If home wasn't safe, where was?

He didn't know how long it had been since he agreed to help the police and they brought him back to this area, but he wished they'd hurry back already. Sure, there was an officer nearby for his protection as he had requested. However, he wasn't the one they designated to speak to him, and Otomi felt uncomfortable so close to the ... crime scene. At least the man was nice if a little distant. In the time he'd spent back here, he'd only learned that the man's name was Satomi, and that they both enjoyed watching Soccer. That was fine. If he were being honest, Otomi wasn't feeling all that up to holding a conversation anyways.

They'd already taken his blood-soaked shoes, so his feet were cold too. He wished he'd never gotten up that morning.

At that moment, a taller, dark headed officer rounded the corner. His mouth was pulled into a tight frown, but when he caught Otomi's gaze, his features relaxed. Running a hand through his short, slicked-back hair, he made his way over to Otomi, and the civilian assumed this was the man they wanted him to speak to. He glanced up at the officer in apprehension, the imposing figure seeming to loom over him.

"Good morning," he said in a bright voice that belied his intimidating appearance. "My name is Yuya Tsukino. I'm a detective with the Kanto Region Department, which I'm sure you've already guessed," he told him with a light laugh and a smile, and the relaxed demeanor put Otomi a little more at ease. That smile contradicted his stature, making him seem significantly less imposing. "How are you holding up?" Officer Tsukino asked, informally taking a seat next to him.

"I'm fine," Otomi lied, eyes falling to his lap.

"You're really brave for doing this."

His words came as a surprise. No one had said anything like that to him. He was brave? "I'm just doing what anyone should," Otomi told him sheepishly.

"That may be true, but just because it's what everyone _should_ do, that doesn't mean it's what everyone _does_ do," the dark-haired detective told him. "So, in my book, it's pretty brave of you to stick around here to give us a hand, and much appreciated to, I should add."

"Thank you ..." Otomi gave him a small smile. He paused a moment as he thought. "I'm not sure how much help I'll be... If any at all."

"Anything you have to say will be of good use. I can tell by the look of you; you've got a sharp mind." Otomi looked up to see him still smiling encouragingly. "Don't sell yourself short."

Otomi nodded, a little stiffly. He glanced at the house in apprehension before beginning. "I deliver mail, so I was just making my rounds like normal ... Oh God." He shuddered, his stomach flipping. "It all seemed so normal, but then I found the house and the blood, and... and there was so much. It .. It seeped into my shoes, touching me, soaking my feet." His voice was quaking but he didn't care, his heart racing as the images assaulted his mind. It was still all so vivid, and if he thought about it too hard, he could still smell the blood too. Oh, but just the thought was enough to make him sick, and how was he supposed to care if he was rambling or not when he felt like this?

When Officer Tsukino put a hand on his arm, the postal worker stopped short. "Hey, it's alright. You're safe," the policeman promised, eyes earnest.

"Am I?" Otomi wanted to believe him so badly. It would make him feel a lot better certainly, but he didn't know if he could actually force himself to believe what the officer was telling him. "That man wasn't safe in his own home."

Tsukino nodded, keeping his voice even, calm, comforting. "You don't have to worry about this killer, mainly because we will catch him ..." He hesitated before adding, "But, also because he only targets officers. You work for the postal service right?"

"Yes."

"Then there's nothing to worry about," he assured, smiling again. Those words helped more than anything, easing most of his worries. He hadn't realized how much he needed to hear someone tell him that exact thing. Though, the young man found he couldn't completely relax for some reason. Perhaps Tsukino noticed this because he said, "You know what you need? A hot cup of coffee."

Frowning, Otomi nodded to the cup next to him. "The other officers already brought me some."

"Nah, I mean real coffee, not that sludge. There's a coffee shop just down the street, my treat."

"I don't have any shoes ..." Otomi explained.

Tsukino waved him off. "Don't worry about that. The department provides temporary clothing for these situations. They're not the best, but they'll do. So what do you say?"

"I don't know ... It wouldn't be fair to make you pay."

Tsukino leaned over to whisper conspiratorially, "I'm really just looking for an excuse to get some _good_ coffee, so really, you're doing me a favor. Actually, it's only _fair_ of _me_ to pay."

"I guess then," Otomi relented.

With another grin, Tsukino patted his back. "Thanks, I owe you one."

One corner of Otomi's mouth twitched upward at this man. He wasn't like any of the other officers he had spoken to yet. Of course, they had all been very nice to him, but it was the standard sort of politeness one treated strangers with. Officer Tsukino seemed far more approachable than all the others, and Otomi could understand why he was the one the department sent to talk to him.

After the two left the crime scene and reached the coffee shop, they spent the next hour talking mostly about inconsequential things like Otomi's job and movies they'd both watched to his surprise. In truth, he had expected the officer to continue questioning him about the crime scene. However, he couldn't say he wasn't glad they had kept to neutral subjects. During the time they spent at the coffee shop, he managed to relax and actually laugh a little.

Finally, when they were standing up to leave, Tsukino pulled out a card and scribbled something on it before handing it over to him. "If you think of something, anything at all, let me know."

As he turned to leave, Otomi stopped him, the memory just coming to him. "Actually, there is something ... I-I heard some strange noises coming from inside the house when I ... when I got there."

More serious now, Tsukino questioned, "Like what?"

"I'm not sure ... There was a sort of knocking sound, and then something like a window slamming. Like someone was trying to get out quickly, I guess ... I didn't even remember hearing it until now."

He nodded. "Was there anything else?"

"No, I think that's it. I didn't hang around very long."

"Of course," Tsukino agreed, giving another bright smile. "Thanks for all of your help. I really appreciate it."

"I should be the one thanking you, Officer." Otomi waved goodbye. Turning in the opposite direction, he pulled out his phone. Even if he had calmed down considerably, he would stay the night at his brother's apartment that night. At the very least, he wouldn't be alone that night.

 **~}(5){~**

After Ren and Ogawa peeled off their white suits, having finished with their investigation of the body, they made their way over to Yuya who was scribbling in a note book. At their approach, he set it aside, hopping to his feet.

"Took you long enough. Guess what our witness told me?" Yuya dove right in, forgoing any niceties.

When his words registered, Ren's brain stuttered. "Witness?"

Yuya grinned. "Yep! A witness," he confirmed with a smug air about himself. Leaning his weight onto the other foot, Yuya crossed his arms over his chest. "Otomi Rinukata was there as our killer was finishing up." Before she could get too excited, he raised his hands haltingly. "Now, he didn't see anything, but he heard the killer leaving."

"Our killer is escalating with this kill," Ogawa interjected. "We showed our cards, and they're showing theirs now. This was a riskier move than normal. I imagine that was why Otomi Rinukata heard anything at all. Interesting to say the least."

"Exactly that, for once we're on the same page," Yuya answered. "The sky must be falling or something. First the Surgeon, er, I suppose WIK now. Anyways, first he makes a mistake, and now me and you are on the same page?"

"However," Koji Ogawa continued, and Ren practically saw the air deflate from Yuya at the tone the other man was using, "Rinukata did find blood on his shoes and run away screaming from what I've been told. The 'noise' he heard inside the house could've just as easily been a cat, or any number of things. Once again though, it could've been the killer as well. Either way, I wouldn't put much stock in it, Ms. Gushike."

"Whatever," Yuya grouched. Under his breath, he added, "And the sky's back in place once more..." He cleared his throat. "What did you two find out?"

Pulling out the plastic evidence bag she'd placed it in, Ren handed over the note card. "Despite the new method here, it was mostly the same as all the others concerning a lack of evidence. However, there is this."

"Our killer didn't seem the type to play 'games'," Yuya remarked after reading the note, voice grim, and Ren knew he was thinking about how this killer had referred to Morino's death as a game. If it had been someone she was as close to as he was to the victim, she would've been furious too. Hell, she was pretty pissed about it as it was.

"It's a literary reference," Ogawa explained. "From Sherlock Holmes."

"Figures you'd be a bookworm, _Koji_ , " Tsukino muttered.

"Ogawa," he corrected promptly, not bothering to refute the statement. Yuya raised a brow, but didn't say anything.

"Let's head back to the station so we can get back to work. We still have a long day ahead of us," Ren broke in, not wanting to deal with this issue for the time being. Nodding in agreement, Ogawa began filling in Yuya on the rest of their findings while Ren read through Yuya's notes on Otomi, and the day began to crawl by.

Around 6:30 P.M, Ren was still in shock and felt exhausted. Even the herbal coffee Yuya had brought her after a coffee run that afternoon hadn't helped her all that much, so she and Ogawa had headed to the break room for a moment. Noticing her state, Ogawa nudged her side. "I wish to ... apologize for my words earlier. They were unduly harsh."

Snorting, Ren raised an eyebrow, asking dryly, "Which time?"

Unimpressed, but not rising to her bait, he specified, "The first time, about your course of action. It was uncalled for on my part. For once, I believe Officer Tsukino was in the right ... This is not an easy case to work on – much less lead, I imagine. And, I'm sorry for doubting your judgment. I understand your reasoning behind your actions even if I would've taken a different path, and it wasn't my place to berate you for it."

"Apology accepted," she said, leaning against the wall by the coffee maker and closing her eyes.

Ogawa seemed to hesitate before speaking. "Why don't you go home for today. Gather your wits. Undoubtedly, Officer Tsukino needs to as well. He seems to be having a particularly hard time with Officer Morino's death," he said.

"I would, but there's still work to do."

"There's little more we can accomplish today, and you are perfectly aware of that," he chided her with a pointed look. Then with a sigh, the dark-haired officer pushed his glasses up and continued, "But if you feel you must do something, why not study Matsuda's supporter list. Decide on who our greatest suspects are." She nodded about to answer before he cut her off. " _That_ you can do at home."

Ren thought about it. The list did need going through, and what did it matter where she did that? "Fine," she finally responded. "Let Yuya know what's going on?"

"Of course ... And, Ms. Gushike -"

"Ren," she corrected. "Call _me_ that at least."

" _Ms. Ren_ ," he drawled. "Please rest."

"Sure, Ogawa." She slapped on a fake smile. His face told her he didn't buy it, but he didn't call her out on it.

As she turned to leave, he caught her arm. "One more thing." She raised a brow, and he hesitated, seeming to debate something with himself. Finally, he sighed. "If you're going to insist I call you Ren... I suppose you may call me Koji as well."

She felt a genuine smile forming on her face. He'd changed his mind after all. "That works for me, _Koji_."

At the emphasis she'd put on his name, the other man rolled his eyes. "It's simply Koji, if you please."

Raising her hands in surrender, Ren almost laughed. "Of course. I don't plan to push my luck.. I'll see you in the morning then," the detective woman told him, and then with a wave, and a few goodbyes to her other co-workers she passed on her way out, Ren was out the door and on her way home.

As she walked, her good mood from the breakthrough with Koji began to fade as her thoughts turned back to the murders and the fault lying on her shoulders. Her head was swimming with thoughts of blood, murder, and blame. She wondered if Morino blamed her for his death. She thought he would – should at least. He would be right.

It was all her fault after all.

She was so distracted by her thoughts, she failed to notice the sun had set. She also failed to notice the car following her. And finally, she failed to notice the hands reaching for her.

At least … not until the chloroform cloth covered her mouth and nose, and consciousness abandoned her.

 **~}(** _To Be Continued_ **){~**

* * *

 _ **A/N: I'll just leave this right here. Looks like Ren is in a bit of trouble! Can't wait for the next chapter. Any guesses as to who it is that has her? Thanks to everyone who reviews/favorited/followed this story. It's much appreciated; thanks for all the support.**_

 _ **Thanks a bunch!**_

 _ **ONWARD!**_

 _ **\- Alyssa**_


	8. Progression

_**A/N: Yay! I've been waiting for this chapter for some time now. It's one of my favorites in the story, so I'm interested to see what you all think. Thanks for reading!**_

 _ **ENJOY!**_

* * *

 **Chapter VII: Progression**

" _Show me a hero, and I'll write you a tragedy." ― F. Scott Fitzgerald_

 **~}(1){~**

" _... And I will do everything I can to make sure that trust is not misplaced." Applause roared, overpowering the other voices still trying to ask questions of the visibly uncomfortable police officer. "I'm sorry. I need to get back to work, so I'm unable to take any more questions for the time being," the woman explained, her face kept blank as she hurried away from the podium and out of sight._

" _There you have it. That was officer Gushike with a statement from the Kanto Region Police Department, and can't you-"_

L leaned back on his heels in his seat, brushing his thumb across his lips, not really caring to listen to the overly bright voice's thoughts on the press conference or the other stories available for the day now that the main broadcast was over. He already knew what he needed to know. As of now, the genius detective wasn't impressed by Officer Gushike's words – or her discovery of the killer's MO. He was less impressed by her decision to tell the public.

From the moment the news had aired the photograph of the second victim, L had known this killer's game. It was easy enough to solve if one took a moment to think. All of the victims had unique scarring on their bodies, but beyond that, there had been a few, subtler tells he had noticed. Afterwards, he had even looked through his old copies of department employees to be certain of their identities, and as was obvious, his theory had turned out to be correct. L was dealing with a cop killer. Then, as the murders continued, the third and fourth victims told him they were dealing with a Kira Case cop killer.

However, he had refrained from cuing the police in on his findings. Not because he wished for the crime spree to continue by any means, but because it was best he stay uninvolved in such matters. Kira was dead. No one aside from himself was as smart as Light, so there was little reason they should need his help. Eventually, the police would catch on to his pattern.

And they had.

And they'd announced it to the world.

Did Miss Gushike fail in realizing what sort of criminal she was dealing with? Her words wouldn't scare him. They'd just challenge him.

The department had grown lax over the years in choosing officers with ability it seemed., and their skill in that respect had always been mediocre at best. Despite L's exasperation though, she _was_ in charge of this case, and she was going to let this killer get away if he didn't step in. One would think she was acting so ineptly on purpose. L fought back a frown. It was something to consider at any rate.

There was no way for him to stay uninvolved anymore, it seemed.

Picking up the cell phone next to him with the tips of his fingers, he dialed one of his contacts. "Would you set up a meeting with Ms. Ren Gushike of the Kanto Region Police Department?" he asked, skipping any formalities, as he curled his toes around his other foot, keeping them warmer.

"Yeah, I can do that," his contact answered, voice tinged with surprise at the sudden call. It had been a matter of years after all. "Where should I drop her off?"

L tilted his head back in thought. There were a few more arrangements that needed to be made before he could give that answer. Should he give his contact the address to his hotel? Could he really trust this man with that information? The genius detective gave a shake of his head. In the past, he might've trusted this man enough as a contact. However, years had passed, and L was not as naive as he once was. Finally, he decided, "I'll email you the address later – along with any other necessary details."

"The usual price still applies."

"That was expected."

A pause. "You haven't used my services in some time."

"Very astute." L hung up, letting the phone fall back into the folds of his comfy chair. He glanced back at the TV where they were still discussing Miss Gushike.

Until now, L hadn't been giving this case too much of his attention, and it hadn't required he do so. It had been white noise. Actually, in some ways, he had almost been avoiding it. L would admit that to himself at the very least. This case brought back old memories, dredging up unpleasantness from the past ten years.

L didn't enjoy thinking back on the previous decade.

 **~}(2){~**

 _ **9 Years Ago**_

 _Sitting on a brown leather office chair, L spun himself in lazy circles. Roger was across the room from him, a tired and pensive look on his face as he sorted through Watari's back up files that had been transferred upon his ... demise._

 _In his hands, the genius detective held a case file for a string of robberies in America. However, he was having difficulties mustering any enthusiasm for it. L already had a good idea of the perpetrator. But he didn't feel like informing the police just yet. His computer was across the room by Roger, so he would have to move for one thing. Too tedious. Besides that, it would mean nothing more than moving on to the next case._

 _Perhaps he could just take a "break" of sorts. But there wasn't much else for him to do anyways. Not to mention, if he stayed idle for too long, doubts about the Kira case began pestering him, and that was more annoying than moving on to another boring case._

 _Now that Kira was gone, his secrets revealed, it was easy to see the mistakes he had made. Many people had died needlessly it seemed. Had he known all the factors going in, things could have been different. There had been too many people involved when there had been little reason for it, and they had paid the price for it. L could've handled the case by himself for the most part, and then matters might not have ended so bleakly. At least, that was the case in retrospection. In truth, even if he had acted differently, Light likely would've found different ways to involve them later on, and they would've died regardless of his efforts. They had been obstacles in his rise to godhood, and so he would use them if he could and remove them when he couldn't. Regardless, there was no way of changing it. Those involved could only live with the memories and do their best to ignore them. However, there was one thing that the detective, for all his genius, didn't understand._

 _Why had he survived?_

 _Not that he wanted to die exactly, but why had he survived when so many others were slain by Kira? From the evidence he had, L assumed the Shinigami weren't supposed to kill for other people. That was why it had died on the night it ... killed Watari. Perhaps it hadn't realize that, but L doubted that as the species likely had knowledge of similar instances in the past. If it had known, why would it kill Watari first?_

 _Obviously, revealed through his nearly completed name in the Death Note, it thought it could take them both out before it perished, but why would it start with Watari when Light clearly despised L so much? L had assumed Light would've wanted him gone more, had counted on it even.. He hadn't expected to survive in the least. Watari had been the one that insisted he carry some Tetrodotosin for himself as well. Watari had been the one that was supposed to survive and finish the case if one of them were going to do it. If not him, then it would've fallen to his successors at the Wammy House._

 _That was the reason he was in his current predicament. Those who thought they were going to die didn't normally plan their futures._

 _Since the conclusion of the case, he hadn't used his namesake, and he didn't plan on ever picking it back up in the future. In a way, L_ had _died with Kira after all._

" _Ryuzaki," Roger spoke up, breaking the stillness that had settled over them and breaking L away from his dark train of thought. L had noticed his silent scrutiny several moments earlier, but had been ignoring him. Roger, he could tell, was about to speak of something unpleasant. "Are you alright?"_

" _Of course I am," L replied instantly._

 _Sighing through his nose, Roger's mouth twisted unhappily before he continued, hesitant, "We've... never discussed everything that happened with the Kira case."_

 _Tilting his head, L gestured to the computer sitting in front of the old man. "Ah, everything that happened before you arrived is there. You were present for the remainder of it," he reminded. There was little point in discussing the past, not anymore. What had happened had happened, and the only path for them was forward. Looking back would solve nothing, would_ change _nothing._

 _The older man frowned, and L sighed at the knowledge that he wasn't content to simply drop the subject. "You know what I meant. Are you alright after everything that happened with Light Yagami and especially Quillish?"_

 _L waved him off, finally putting in some effort and rolling himself across to his own computer. Perhaps Roger's insistence was good for something after all. Pulling up a tab to send his findings on the string of robberies to the police, he answered,"As I said previously, I'm fine. It was just another case after all."_

" _You don't really believe that. I know what he meant to you because he thought the same of you," Roger chided, a soft disapproval in his eyes. However, there was something else there too. Something like pity. There was no need for pity. "Don't try to convince me – or yourself for that matter – that you don't care."_

 _L's grip tightened minutely on his chair, and he glanced towards his feet. That hadn't been what he was implying at all. Watari was... L blinked his eyes harshly, feeling far more tired than he should have. He had slept within the past thirty-six hours, so it was strange to feel the need for rest all of a sudden. Perhaps he needed another snack, L thought, letting any lingering emotions wash out of him. After a tense moment of silence, he finally raised his head, meeting Roger's eyes calmly. "I_ cared _a great deal for him, but I've already mourned and avenged him."_

 _A long silence passed between them._

 _Eventually, Roger let out a shaky sigh – reminding him how much the man cared for Watari as well. L had grieved for his friend in his own way and made amends in the only way he knew how, but admittedly, he still missed his old friend's presence. He had been a part of L's life longer than any one else the genius detective had ever known. Certainly longer than his parents. Rather, the man had opted to_ be _the smart, lonely little boy's father figure. In other words, he understood exactly what Roger was going through. It was very odd for the detective to not have Watari at his side... But that was not something he could afford to think on. Dwelling on it made him lose focus on other things, and Watari would not have wanted to cause trouble. That was why L had forced himself to move past his dear friend's death. Roger was having problems with that part it seemed._

 _L refused to let emotions cloud his judgment from now on – not that they did very much to begin with. However, Light had been his first friend. Part of L wondered if that was one of the reasons Light had made it so far. He shook his head, messy black hair obscuring his face. Light's ambition and intelligence had carried him. L hadn't made a mistake by befriending him._

 _In truth, his friendship with Light amused him to no end. It figured that his first friend ever would be a serial killer with a god complex._

 _L turned away from the memories._

" _What will you do now?" Roger asked, having composed himself. His face had returned to it's normal look of drawn exhaustion._

 _L picked up a piece of melon from the plate that had been sitting on his desk, remembering his own tiredness, and popped into his mouth. Speaking around a mouthful of food, the dark-haired genius answered, "The same thing I've always done."_

" _I'm returning to the Wammy House next week. You'll be alone."_

 _Exasperated, L sighed. "It can't be helped." It would be different, but L felt confident he could continue on as normal. Perhaps the familiarity would be good for him. It would be upsetting to need to retrieve his own snacks, however._

 _Standing, Roger placed a hand on L's shoulder to keep his attention. "Look, I don't think you need to be alone all the time. I want you to come visit myself at the orphanage every other month – at least for a couple of days - and I'll visit you on the off months."_

" _That's not necessary, Roger."_

 _Shaking his head, Roger squeezed his shoulder. "I made a promise to a good friend a long time ago that if something happened to him, I would check up on and take care of you. I intend to see such a promise through. I'm not one to forget my debts."_

 _After a pause, L caved, "Very well. I'll make arrangements if they mean so much to you." He ate another piece of melon. "Now, we should return to work."_

 _Nodding, Roger released him and returned to his seat._

 _Even if he didn't think it was necessary, L would do it for Roger – if not for Watari's memory. Roger was the last person he had attachments to anymore, and the detective knew that it wouldn't do to tarnish them for no reason. Once every two months wasn't too bad, and he could take his work with him. It wasn't like there was anything pressing that required his rapt attention all the time. Besides, Roger would bring him snacks during the visits, so any time lost would be reclaimed there, L theorized._

 _There was no reason for Roger's concern – though L appreciated it on some level. He would be fine._

 **~}(3){~**

Groggily, awareness came to Ren, mouth as dry as sand paper and head pounding, and confusion swept over her. What had she done? The detective woman felt like she did the morning after her graduation from the police academy celebration... The last thing she remembered was speaking to Koji at Morino's crime scene and then ... Then she headed home and ..

As the memories flooded back, her eyes shot open, or they tried to. Ren only managed to crack them. Someone had tied a strip of cloth around her eyes. Heartbeat quickening, she shifted and confirmed her fears. She was tied up.

Waking up like this was disorienting to her and brought on waves of nausea as she tried to discern up from down. Unable to calm her racing heart, she let some spit dribble from her mouth. It was an old trick and a little on the disgusting side, but it would get the job done. When she felt it slide down her chin, she could tell that she was right side up and that eased her nausea to an extent. Just knowing how she was settled helped, and it was the first step to calming herself down.

She was a police officer. There were procedures for this scenario – procedures she had been _trained_ in. Now, the dark-haired woman just needed to remember them. After all, she'd been on the force for a while now, and there wasn't much need for her to call on that kind of training. And of course, knowing something was entirely different when one was living it, and Ren was having difficulty containing her frantic emotions. That was the part that no amount of training could quite mimic, but Ren knew that it would do her no good if she couldn't calm down.

Clamping down on her panic, she took a moment and forced deep, even breaths from her nose. Steadily. In and out. If the detective planned on finding a way out of this, she _had_ to stay calm. She needed to find out where she was – engage her senses. Then hopefully, Ren could wriggle out of these bonds. Unlikely, with how tight they were, but she would try nonetheless.

Though her panic refused to dissipate entirely, it cleared enough to tell that she was sitting in a chair – tied to it actually, both ankles and wrists, around her chest, and around her thighs for good measure. Wiggling her right foot until her shoe slipped off, Ren curled her toes into the flooring and was met with the soft feeling of plush carpeting. It was more luxurious than she had been expecting.

She tried to listen for sounds, something to give her a hint about her location. An air conditioner hummed lethargically. Inside, but she already knew that ... That didn't narrow it down any. However, since waking, she hadn't heard any traffic noises, so either a building with good sound proofing, she had been taken outside the city, or she was very high up. That helped some. Combined with her knowledge of the flooring told her she was in a nicer building and not a dilapidated warehouse. It was a nice place, she thought. Between the carpeting, the cool – but not too cold – air-conditioning, and the slight, pleasantly perfumed scent to the air, it made her think she was in some sort of office-building... Or maybe a hotel. Something like that.

Had Kira supporters taken her? WIK himself? Her dealings with that case was the only logical reasoning she could come up with for her kidnapping. Never before had she been directly threatened by anyone. She supposed she could have made a few enemies over the years. Some convict she'd helped put away coming back for revenge, but she doubted that. It had to be this case. It had to be. Aside from her headache, Ren didn't think she was hurt. That was a good sign, right? Surely, she -

"Oh good, you're awake," a computerized voice came from somewhere across the room. "I've been told it's rude to wake someone up, but I was getting bored of waiting."

Ren froze. Her heart rate picked back up, undoing all of her previous efforts to calm down. They weren't there in person. They were taking care to disguise their voice. Why would they bother? Unless she knew them. Voice scratchy and a little weak, Ren questioned, "Who are you?" trying to put on an air of calm that she certainly didn't feel.

 **~}(4){~**

 _ **5 Years Ago**_

 _ **Elise Thacker, the babysitter and mistress, murdered Jonathan Harper. She was envious of Ms. Harper and allowed that to govern her actions. You'll find her at the address provided below.**_

 _Not even glancing over it to see if the typing was legible, L sent the email, then proceeded to close the tab and move on to the next case. He was sitting on the floor in front of his computer, the room kept dark in order for him to sharpen his focus. Only the sounds of his typing broke the silence around him. Every so often, the shut in detective would pluck a marshmallow from the near-empty bag beside him. Plates were stacked in various places around the room, and different kinds wrappers littered the floor around him._

 _With how much time he spent working now, L certainly didn't have time to clean up from his snacks. There were few he trusted enough to know his whereabouts – only one actually, and he only visited every other month, too busy attending to the orphanage to play maid on a regular basis. And.. And Watari had been gone for years now. So there was no one to do it anymore. Not that cleaning mattered, L decided. There were still cases to solve – even if they were never interesting anymore – and who would be the one to take care of it besides himself?_

 _None of them posed the slightest of challenges. Not in the least after the Kira case. Most of the time, he could solve them by reading the news reports – sloppy as they were and with the few details they presented. Rarely, would he need to request the police files, and he always contacted them anonymously these days. Always using different aliases. Anymore, he didn't care to make a name for any of his monikers. There was no point in it, and L could accomplish more without all the pandering, he had found. Regardless, despite the tediousness of it all, it was something to do. It was really the only thing he could do anymore. Unlike most people, L preferred to work on his own._

 _He'd learned the hard way that bringing other people into both his life and investigations complicated everything. Not to mention, in almost every case, those he bright in could barely hold an intelligent conversation with him, let alone keep up with his train of thought... There had been one person he considered his match, and they had become friends. Light_ had _been trying to play him the entire time though. Even as the thought crossed his mind, L knew it wasn't exactly true._

 _In his mind, Light was and was not Kira. Kira had turned out to be Light Yagami – as he had predicted – but Light Yagami was not necessarily Kira. The man he'd known during the investigation that had allowed himself to forget the Death Note had been Light Yagami. That was who had become his friend._

 _The Shinigami's tool had warped Light. It was power over life and death. That much power was not meant to be possessed by one person. Light had convinced himself he could use it for good, that he_ was _using it for good, and perhaps it had seemed like that to the young, up and coming college student. And in the time he possessed it, it distorted his sense of justice. Mass murder was never justice, and to commit something like that and still call himself good... he had convince himself that it was the right thing to do._

 _When he'd said that he could never be capable of that kind of crime while he had forgotten he'd committed it, L knew he was telling the truth. On his own, Light could never have done it. With the power thrust into his hands however ..._

 _Power corrupts, and absolute power corrupts absolutely as John Dalberg-Acton had once said._

 _All in all, Kira was Light Yagami. But Light Yagami was not Kira._

 _Forcefully shaking the train of thought off, L sent another email off to the Swedish Police Department about one of their banks, which had been robbed a few weeks back._

 _He didn't like thinking about that case. It always carried distraction with it, and he didn't want to waste thoughts on it anymore. However, he found it difficult to keep his mind from straying towards it. Everything was over now; nothing could change that – especially dwelling on what he could have done. Instead, the dark-haired detective focused on his work. It kept those things away. Most of the time anyways. Every so often, he found his hand lingering over the intercom button, and each time, he reminded himself that Watari wouldn't answer if he pressed it. Then he would get a new sweet and return to work once more._

 _A brief knock at the door made him pause. Who was disturbing him? There was only one person who ... L glanced at the date displayed in the bottom corner of his monitor. Two months had already passed. It seemed he had not been paying much attention to the passage of time lately. That was just as well, he knew._

 _Without turning around, he called, "Come in, Roger."_

 _The door creaked open, light flooding through the opening and dimming the light from his monitor. "It's been a while since I last spoke with you, Ryuzaki." The old man edged into the room, his soft footsteps echoing too loudly in the silent room, and let the door shut behind him with a resolute thud. L heard him nudging debris out of his way, plates and silverware clanking together and plastics crinkling, before making his way towards and sitting down on the office chair that stood neglected in the corner._

" _I suppose it has been..." L let the statement hang while he reviewed another case file. In truth, he knew exactly why Roger had come. However, he was hesitant to begin that discussion. It was the same one they'd had several times now, both redundant and unnecessary._

" _You know, you've missed your visit to the Wammy House."_

" _Huh? Oh, it seems I have."_

" _Just like you have for the past six months," Roger added, voice non-accusatory though there were traces of disappointment in it. Mostly, he sounded concerned._

" _Forgive me. I shall try making the next one." The detective sent off another email._

" _Mello has asked if you're ever coming back," he revealed, crossing his legs casually._

 _L's fingers paused momentarily in their typing, and he glanced over at Roger. Mello showed great promise as a detective, one of two, and L knew that he would likely end up taking over his investigations one day if he ever decided to stop. Though the boy was nearly old enough to strike off on his own at this point, and given his proneness to emotional outbursts, it was likely he would one day. "Please apologize to him for my ... extended absence."_

" _Near went about it differently, but he's concerned too – as are all the younger children especially and myself. The boy read all the reports on the Kira Case. He says that's why you won't come back. Because you're too busy withering in your grief."_

" _I see." L stopped typing, finally turning to face him, the monitor light illuminating only one side of his face. "He's mistaken. As you can see, I'm hardly withering. I've been working on cases – as I always have."_

 _With an exhausted sigh, Roger frowned at him. "That's not true. Back before... You never threw yourself into work like this. For many years, you refused to even involve yourself unless it was prestigious enough for the great L to involve himself in."_

 _Turning back to his computer, the genius paused a moment, the darkness casting strange shadows across his face and hooding his eyes. "L is not solving these cases. I am."_

 _Roger waited a long time before finally releasing another sigh. "I just want you to take better care of yourself," he pleaded._

" _Of course."_

 _The older man eyed him for a while. Either searching his features for sincerity or deceit, L assumed. Finally, he rose to his feet, turning towards the door._

" _Oh, Roger, one more thing," L began, glancing over his shoulder._

 _He raised a brow. "What is it?"_

" _Could you take a stack of these plates out with you?"_

 **~}(5){~**

"Miss Gushike, I'm going to ask you a few questions, and be honest. I'll know otherwise as I have a rather good sense about these things," her captor explained forebodingly.

Swallowing, she nodded, and then, unsure if they could see her, said, "Okay." Ren didn't ask what would happen if she lied. In truth, she wasn't sure she wanted to know. Besides, their words had been enough to imply. Ren didn't believe she was a coward, not that much at any rate, but she couldn't see the logic of some captives who had maintained their silence for no reason. Her hands were shaking. She _had_ to calm knew they weren't going to just let her go if she was agreeable, but thought it best to play along for the time being. At the very least, it would buy her some time to come up with a better idea. Easy.

"Do you recognize these dates?" The voice began listing a series of days, months. Dates she had familiarized herself with over the past months. Those were the dates of the crimes.

Dear God ... It _was_ WIK. It had to be. He was going to question her about the investigation to help him cover up his trail, the way it was supposed to be before she outed him and his pattern, and then ... Well, she doubted she would make it out of this. WIK was known for being precise, careful, _sterile_. The killer seemed to hate loose ends, and now, she'd gone and pissed him off enough that he decided he needed to get rid of her. Part of her thought that maybe she should've been proud of herself, attracting that much attention from such a killer, but that didn't mean much when one was facing down an almost assured death. Her stomach rolled dangerously again, her breathing a little shallow. Even knowing it clouded her thinking, the dark-haired woman couldn't stop her from panicking.

"Why did you kidnap me? What do you want from me?" she bit out, her wrists straining against the bindings. Her captor paused and gave what sounded like an exasperated sigh before repeating the previous question. Frustrated tears rose to her eyes, and with a sharp breath through her nose, she choked them back. No, she wouldn't let this person know how much they were getting to her – even if it had to be painfully obvious at this point. Somehow, Ren managed to keep the tremble out of her voice when she answered. "Of course I recognize the dates of the murders."

"Where were you on those days?" they asked without a pause.

She didn't understand. Why would that matter? "Why do you even care?"

"Stay focused, Miss Gushike. I know this is a task you seem to find difficult."

Trying to think back and still reeling slightly from the odd pattern his questions were taking on, Ren shook her head. "I don't ... I'm not sure what I was doing on the first three. I was at the shooting range on March 22. For the rest, I've been at home or at the department working on this case."

"I see."

When they didn't continue, Ren knew how few her options were at this point and pressed the opportunity. "Look, you know who I am obviously... But I don't know who you are, and you haven't done anything irrevocable, yet. I'm an officer _in charge_ of a high profile case. If I don't head in to work soon, my team will be looking for me," she reasoned, doing her best to sound threatening. "Do you really want to involve yourself in this?"

"I've been involved for quite some time already."

What did that mean? Were they the killer or not? Perhaps they were trying to throw her off... Or maybe her first instinct had been right and it was a supporter. They were just as likely to kill her though. Or... To be honest, Ren was growing confused by all of this. She had assumed they would try to kill her, but then, what was the point of these questions? It wasn't information she thought they would really need.

"Why did you hold that press conference?" the mechanical voice asked coldly.

Ah, now that was more of what she was expecting. They were probably furious with her for figuring out the pattern and telling everyone. She'd made WIK's job more difficult by putting his potential victims on their guards, and they were going to punish her for it. Ren strained against her ropes once more, teeth gritted. She needed to get out of there – at least get the blindfold off. If she at least knew what she was facing, she thought she could handle it with a cooler head.

"The ropes won't come undone on their own. I tied them myself and have always been meticulous about such things." When she didn't stop struggling, they continued, "The sooner you answer, the sooner we can finish this."

Ren froze at the words. So they were going to kill her.

No. The detective refused to die like this. She hadn't done enough yet. She still had so many things she wanted to accomplish. Dying alone and out of sight wasn't the way she would go out. If she died here, she would be letting everyone down, Matsuda, Chief Aizawa, even Yuya and Koji. She had _just_ been put in charge, and she wasn't about to let something like this steal her future. Taking a calming breath, the dark-haired woman thought hard.

What could she do? In this situation, _what could she do_? She couldn't break her ropes. Not on her own. If could stall for long enough, her team would realize she'd been kidnapped and track her phone to come find her. Assuming her phone was still somewhere around her. He could've left it on the street where he had picked her up... It was a long shot, but it was better than just giving up. However, her team couldn't do that if she angered him into deciding she wasn't worth it by not answering. She had to keep him talking as she had originally decided.

"The public was panicking and throwing insults at the department," she said, finally answering his last question. "I was hoping to calm them down some."

"Your logic is flawed. Do you believe WIK is above murdering a citizen just because they didn't work on the Kira Case?" her captor chastised.

Ren faltered. "Well ... no." She hadn't been thinking like that. It was possible though. In fact, WIK had already shown a drastic shift in his MO, but still, nothing he did indicated that he held interest in the citizens. Serial killers were very ritualistic, including the choosing of their victims. Confusion swept over her face. "Why are you telling me this?" Were they just taunting her detective skills before they killed her? Or were they saying WIK was going to attack a citizen in the future? Was it a threat?

"You were in need of the correction..." After a moment of silence passed, her captor told her plainly, "You didn't give me a very convincing alibi earlier." Alibi? What were they talking about? Then it clicked. The dates ... They'd been asking for an alibi? "You could be WIK for all I know. Why should I trust you?"

At the question, her anger overpowered any fear she had, and Ren sputtered indignantly. " _You_ , trust _me_?! _You're_ the one who drugged me and tied me up and plan to kill me. I should be the one saying that."

"I don't plan to kill you. Now, answer my question."

The simple words, spoken as though common knowledge, flipped Ren's emotions once more. Anger and outrage became disbelief and surprise. Before she could determine if it was the right thing to say, she blurted her honest answer. "All I want is to stop these murders from happening."

"I've heard criminals say that before to cast suspicion away from themselves," her captor shot right back.

"Then I don't know what you want me to say," Ren told him, shifting uncomfortably in her bindings. Taking a shaky breath, she slumped back in her chair, letting her head tilt back over the edge of the chair at an uncomfortable angle, but she didn't care. "The truth is you don't have to trust me. First, I don't know why I would need your trust, and honestly, if you don't plan on killing me, then I have no idea why I'm here. My alibi? ... There's no reason for me to commit the murders," she explained. "I quit the Kira Case early on, was one of the first officers to do it, so I barely have any ties to it. I never supported him either. Execution was the only way to stop him as far as I'm concerned."

After that, the detective woman allowed silence to settle around her, having said her piece. She wondered if her captor would be angry. More than that, she wondered just who they were. They said they didn't want to kill her ... They were too well-equipped for the average vigilante, and why would someone who claimed to be on her side interrogate her anyways? It didn't add up. If they were supporters just trying to scare her or find out information about the case, she thought they would ask more questions relating to undisclosed information the department had.

"Well, you're correct on at least one thing: I don't have to trust you. However," they added, "I haven't had the feeling that you're lying."

"I'm not," Ren promised. If they would just untie her ...

"Last question." They paused for a long moment. "How do you take your tea?"

That ... wasn't what she'd been expecting. "I don't understand."

"Ah, of course. I'm overestimating your expanse of knowledge. Tea is a beverage that's usually served hot. Most people sweeten it wi-"

"I know what tea is!"

"Seeing as I've needed to repeat every question so far, I was unsure of how much you knew in general."

Unwilling to rise to the bait, Ren forced herself to calm her temper. This was a tactic she knew a bit about, and the woman didn't want to give him anymore control over the situation than he already had. She couldn't think as well if she was angry. "I don't particularly care how I take my tea. Whatever is usually fine."

"I see ..." They trailed off. "I'll just make it like mine then."

"Wait, what?" Ren asked. However, the speakers had already cut out.

Were they making her tea? Ren's confusion only made her head ache worse. The entire experience had left her with a sense of whiplash. Any ideas as to who her captor was eluded her. Their conversation had failed to clear anything up. In fact, it only served to muddy the waters even more.

Ren flexed her hands in vain, trying to loosen the ropes. Her wrists were raw and sore now, but her arms were numb, her legs too. She had no idea what to expect for when her captor returned. Clearly, something was wrong with them, whoever they were. The dark-haired detective wondered if she'd been kidnapped by some escaped lunatic. With nothing to do but wait, Ren's chin dropped against her chest.

 **~}(6){~**

 _ **2 Years Ago**_

 _L scrolled past another of Roger's emails asking if he was coming. The old man should've known by then that he wasn't. Honestly, he was much too busy to bother with the visits all the time._

 _Back when he first agreed to them, two months seemed longer. However, now the time seemed to go by in the blink of an eye. Work was finally picking up now that people had distanced themselves from the memory of Kira. It was still menial, but at least there were some cases that mildly interested him every so often. If he had been less intelligent, they might've even posed a challenge at times. However, that was never the case._

 _Roger kept persisting that L needed someone to talk to, but L didn't think that was necessary. It would always stay with him in some way, but for the most part, L thought he'd moved past the Kira case. Roger needed to do the same. In truth, everything was much simpler now that he only dealt with a screen._

 _Since he was alone now, L solved far more cases than he did back when the Kira case began. He wondered what Kira would think. He was ridding the streets of hundreds of criminals and hadn't even needed a Death Note. Likely, Kira would say that just putting them in jail wouldn't stop them ... and he was right. It wouldn't stop all of them permanently. But killing them wasn't justice either ... That's what he would always maintain._

 _Watari had agreed with that sentiment. That was why he'd helped L become the detective he was – because he believed in the true type of justice. L thought Watari would be happy with all the progress he'd made over the years._

 _Just then his computer alerted him to another email._

 _ **L. I haven't spoken to or seen you in almost 5 months. I know it's not my scheduled time, but I'm flying out again tomorrow. Additionally, I know you're working, but I would request that you take a moment to let me in this time if you're going to change your locks.**_

 _ **Please, I worry.**_

 _ **\- Roger**_

 _L frowned before deleting the email._

 **~}(7){~**

After a few minutes, Ren heard the door opening and the sound of glass-ware rattling. Had they... Had they really brought her tea after all? Part of her wanted to believe that's all they were doing, but she couldn't quite dare herself to drop her guard. This was a very unusual situation for her.. For anyone really, she imagined. Her captor set it down somewhere, and she flinched when she suddenly felt warm breath waft across her skin. The detective hadn't heard them move, something she had been keeping an ear out for. Was more than one of them present? It was possible, she decided.

"My apologies," her captor said in a deep, monotone voice, sounding distant and perhaps even bored by the whole affair. He was a man then for certain. "It wasn't my intention to startle you, I assure you."

"Then why did you kidnap me in the first place?"

"It was necessary. I needed to know who I would be working with." Working with? Before she could comment, he continued, "I'm going to remove your blindfold now." Then she felt fingers at the back of her head.

As the blindfold fell away, Ren blinked rapidly in protest of the sudden light. When her vision cleared she was able to get a look at her captor. He was roughly her own age, perhaps older with messy, dark hair that swept into his face and poked out at odd angles. Equally dark circles shown under his eyes that told of countless nights without sleep. Then to top it all off, he wore an over-sized white shirt and jeans. No shoes, she noted, explaining why she hadn't heard his footsteps though she supposed that was to be expected considering they were indoors. And ... And she had no idea who he was.

Without a word, he stepped behind her. Ren craned her neck around, wary of letting him out of sight. However, he was only removing her other bindings.

"Look, I don't know what you're thinking, but you can't work on this case with me. You should let the police do their job."

He sighed flippantly. "I would. If it didn't seem like you were actively sabotaging this case."

"Excuse me?"

As she rubbed her newly freed wrists, he paused. "Will you agree to speak with me before running away if I untie your legs?" he asked, ignoring her indignation.

Ren thought it over. He didn't seem like he wanted to harm her ... Even so, she didn't know if he had any partners, where she was, or even if he had a gun on him – his over-sized shirt made it difficult to tell. She wouldn't run away just yet anyways. "I'll stay."

He cocked his head to the side, studying her face intently, and the detective woman fought the urge to squirm under his gaze. Now that she could see him, he was much less intimidating than the mechanical voice had suggested. However, his wide, gray, emotionless eyes were making her uncomfortable. Apparently satisfied, the dark-haired man crouched down, undoing the rest of the knots in order to release her before returning to his previous stooped position. As he crossed the room and retrieved two steaming cups, Ren kept an eye on him, pulling the ropes away from her ankles and off her lap.

She inspected the tea warily after he passed it to her. Was it poisoned? No, that wouldn't make any sense. Then again, not much _had_ made sense from the time she'd woken up. Either way, there was no way in hell she was going to drink any of it. "Why did you make me tea?"

"As a way to make up for this ... unexpected meeting," the man explained

as he climbed into the chair across from her and ... crouched?

Shaking it off, she glared at him. "I hardly think that makes up for kidnapping."

"Well, I suppose you could have the piece of cake I have left over ..." Glancing up in thought, he brushed his thumb against his lips. "But, no wait, there's only the one, so you'd have to share."

Brow furrowed, she frowned at him. "I don't ... Who are you?" Ren settled on.

Meeting her eyes as though he just realized he hadn't introduced himself, her captor said, "Please call me Rue Ryuzaki." That was familiar to her, though she couldn't place it. When she showed no reaction beyond confusion, he said, "Forgive me, I had assumed you could figure it out by now.

"Perhaps you would know me as L."

 **~}(** _To Be Continued_ **){~**

* * *

 _ **A/N: Sooo... Did anyone see that one coming? Also, L's back! I missed his presence a lot when I was writing this originally, so I was super happy when writing this chapter. Anywho, what did y'all think? Let me know!**_

 _ **Thanks for all the support! And a special thanks to my reviewers!**_

 _ **ONWARD!**_

 _ **\- Alyssa**_


	9. Indignation

_**A/N: ...**_

 _ **WELL. This is awkward. Yeah, my bad. It's been a while now, hasn't it? Friday updates just aren't working, so I'm just going to start putting these out as I finish them. Sorry guys. Life has been crazy hetic here with a few hospital visits the past month or so, and if I'm honest, I've had like no motivation to edit for this story. I'll try and work on that in the future. But for now...**_

 _ **ENJOY!**_

* * *

 **~}(){~**

 **Chapter VIII: Indignation**

" _Blue masquerade  
Strangers look on  
When will they learn  
This loneliness? _

…

 _Cry, little sister! (Thou shalt not fall)  
Come, come to your brother! (Thou shalt not die)  
Unchain me, sister! (Thou shalt not fear)  
Love is with your brother! (Thou shalt not kill)" - Cry Little Sister by G Tom Mac_

 **~}(){~**

Dropping his newest case file on the desk in front of him, Matsuda rubbed the heels of his palms against his eyes. Despite the honest efforts he attempted, he wasn't able to focus on his latest assignment from Aizawa anyhow. Unable to help himself, Matsuda glanced at the newspaper sitting off to the side on his desk, his eyes straying towards the front page headline:

 _ **More Bold, More Daring, More Murder - WIK Strikes Again!**_

He'd already read and reread the article that morning while he ate breakfast. Part of him wasn't even surprised by the brutality of the latest murder – little surprised Matsuda anymore in general when it came to such matters. By holding her press conference, Ren issued a challenge, regardless of purposeful intent or not, and it seemed that the killer had been more than willing to call her on it. The detective wondered how she was coping with it all. He knew from experience that happenstances like that, even if you knew the necessity of it all, brought with it a guilt that ate away at you, and unlike him, Miss Gushike had little experience in dealing with it.

Shaking his head to ward off the train of thought, Matsuda snatched the newspaper up and folded it in half before tucking it away in one of his desk drawers. Perhaps if it stayed out of sight, he could actually get a little work done. But first, he needed a cup of coffee.

Stretching lightly, he rose to his feet and made his way towards the break room. When the detective made it a few steps down the hall from his destination, an irritated voice, muffled in slight but not by much, snapped, "Did you try her apartment?"

"No answer, just like her cell phone. You really thought I wouldn't try that? How much of an idiot do you think I am."

"Up to now, your actions have spoken quite well of that _for_ you."

The insulted party laughed, a touch of bitterness sounding out. "Yeah, well at least _I'm_ not the one who has poor little issues with-"

When he stepped through the door, Ogawa and Tsukino glanced up at him from their place by the coffee maker. The two had paused in their argument at his entrance, and the awkward silence set off alarms in his head. Of course, the anxiety on Ogawa's face and the frustration on Tsukino's did little to defuse his worries. Something was wrong. Something else with WIK? And where was Ren? "Matsuda," Tsukino offered a belated greeting before taking a thick drink from his coffee.

Not buying in to their innocent act, Matsuda crossed his arms over his chest and leaned back against the door frame to level a pointed look at the two. "What's going on?"

"Ren didn't come in today," Tsukino explained with a sigh, apparently he didn't see the point in hiding it.

Frowning to himself, the dark-haired detective shuffled across the room to join in the little semi-circle they made and paused a moment to think. "And she's not answering her phone?" he questioned just to make certain he knew the exacts of the situation.

Tsukino shook his head in agreement. Eyes severe, his mouth pulled in a stern line, seeming out of place on the jubilant man's features. "We tried both numbers she gave us and left a message on her answering machine, but her cell skips straight to voice-mail every time." Sighing with a quick huff through his nose, the tall man shook his head as though to deny it. "I don't like this. Feels off."

"I don't like it either," Matsuda agreed, his frown deepening. He checked the time on his watch and saw that four o'clock had already come and gone. If she kept to her normal schedule, the dedicated woman should've arrived some time around eight that morning. "It's very abnormal, and not like her from everything I know about her." Aizawa had told him that she was a try-hard, always stuck to her schedule in exacts, never late to work but staying late afterwards. Perhaps everything that had happened, the responsibility of heading a high profile case, proved too much for her after all. He _had_ told Aizawa that she wasn't ready for the position even if she had handled it better than most would have... But, he hadn't pegged her as the type to give up either. "Was she alright the last time you saw her?" he inquired, leaning against the counter, his face pinched in concentration.

Ogawa hesitated and pushed his glasses into place as he cast a subtle glance in Tsukino's direction. "She was ... troubled by Morino's death," he remarked. A dark look crossed the other man's face at the reminder of his friend, and the trio allowed a moment of silence in respect to their fallen colleague.

Nodding after a moment, Matsuda shrugged. "Perhaps she just needed the time to herself?" he offered, skepticism coloring his tone. The explanation didn't sit well with him, but it was the obvious answer.

"Yesterday, I more or less had to force her to go home... She wished to stay at the department, sort out any more little details she was able to.." Ogawa ran a hand over his chin, a thoughtful look on his face. "If anything, I believe that whatever guilt this caused strengthened her determination." The detective paused a moment, his eyes softening. "She's the type to throw herself into work when something bothers her rather than avoid it."

"What do you think happened to her then?"

Tsukino shrugged. "I can't say, but I know for certain she wouldn't just abandon her duties for no reason. Ogawa's about to head over to her apartment since that's the last place we know she was going. I'm gonna contact her sister, Hamasaki – see if she's there."

In truth, it was very strange that Ren would miss work, especially when she'd just been made lead investigator. Working with someone for a few weeks helped you get to know them. The dark-haired detective agreed with Tsukino; something about this felt off. During the time they worked together, Matsuda had gotten along pretty well with Ren, so he hated to think she was missing. Missing while there was a murderer targeting cops. It wouldn't bode well. _If_ she was missing, that was.

Matsuda spared the assignment sitting on his desk only a single thought before nodding to himself. Clearly, this took priority. Aizawa would understand that, and if not, well, he would get over it at any rate. After all, Matsuda couldn't just sit idle while a colleague, perhaps he could even consider her as a friend at this point, had seemingly disappeared off the face of the earth. "I'll check the shooting range. She mentioned once that she spends a lot of time there, and she brings takeout from that restaurant in North Yomi a few times a week, might try there as well. If we can't find her in any of those places, we'll need to let Aizawa know what's going on and go from there. We can't declare her missing until tomorrow evening at the earliest."

The other two detectives nodded before heading for the door, glad to have direction. Matsuda drained the rest of his coffee and followed them out, hoping it was only stress that was keeping her away from work and kicking himself for not noticing her absence earlier in the day. If – _if –_ something had happened, then an awful lot of time had passed before any actual efforts had been made to find her. The trail could be long cold by now.

 **~}(2){~**

Almost an entire minute of silence passed before Ren was able to articulate a proper response to his previous declaration. After all, the absurdity of it could shock anyone into silence. "Wait. Are you telling me you're the world's greatest detective? _The L_?"

Ryuzaki, as the strange man had asked to be called, scratched his head. "That's what I just said," he reminded. Then as though something was wrong with _her_ , he leaned forward in his seat to examine her face a little closer. Biting his thumb, he mumbled, "She seems to have trouble hearing though she didn't sustain any injuries on the way here... Allergic reaction to chloroform? Possible, but unlikely... No mention in her medical records..."

At his affirmation and further – somewhat insulting - speculations, she couldn't help it. Later she would blame it on all the stress from the past week or the remnants of any chemicals in her system – though she was _not_ indeed allergic to the substance – but Ren burst into a fit of laughter. Not just any laughter – it was the high-pitched whiny laugh that Sumi had always made fun of, the one she was oh so self-conscious about and tried to contain. But at that moment, the detective woman failed to muster enough propriety to care. Ren had a good bullshit detector, but this guy was so sincere when he said it. He really believed what he was saying. Obviously, he was insane. If there had ever been any doubt.

Ryuzaki took a drink of the tea he'd brought in for them. "I get the idea you don't believe me."

Through no small effort, she managed to calm her giggles and took a few gulps of much needed air. "Believe you?" she echoed with an indignant huff. "You're asking me to believe that you, a pale-skinned, overly thin, _kidnapper_ , who's – What? A year or two older than me? – was the world's greatest detective ten years ago?"

"Is the world's greatest detective," he corrected, his face remaining that same blank he had sported the entire time. With an eye roll, she scoffed at him.

"Yeah, so, you'll have to excuse me if I laugh. You're obviously a complete lunatic. If I didn't know that you thought cake was an acceptable apology for kidnapping, I could still tell from sight alone." She pointed to the dark circles under his eyes. "You look like you haven't slept in weeks, or set foot in the sun. You're hair's a mess, and you're clothes are wrinkled. Even dressed down, normal people don't look like that. In other words," she concluded, crossing her arms under her bust with a smugness that perhaps was a little over the top, "no, I don't believe you could ever be the Great L. It's not like you've given me a good reason to."

Normally, she would feel bad about being so rude. However, she was feeling more than a little vengeful after all that he had put her through. The detective had passed her stress limit back when she'd been kidnapped. Then after having been subjected to his insane rambling and questioning, she didn't feel like this guy deserved her courtesy. He was lucky she hadn't shot him – arrested him at the very least.

He sighed through his nose, the only signal that her words affected him at all. His lack of response was beginning to cloy at her nerves. "Are you quite done, Miss Gushike?" Ren frowned, rolling her eyes and looking away. He continued despite her lack of an answer, "Good. That was rude. I'm almost hurt."

Ren snorted. Honestly, she didn't care what he thought. She'd said her piece.

"Ren Gushike ..." Ryuzaki paused for a moment, musing to himself and tapping a finger against his lips with a lazy air about him. "Thirty-three, with the Kanto Region Police Department for the past eleven years – you picked a wonderful year to join by the way. Despite the rather significant time that has elapsed since then, the 'Surgeon' Cases are the first high profile cases you've led, a position given to you by default, rather than any actual merit of your own."

"Hard to lead a high profile case when there's none around," she ground out, gritting her teeth to avoid the sting of his words. Those thoughts were always floating around in the back of her mind. She didn't need him to remind her of it.

Ignoring her, he pushed on, "During high school, you used dual credit, so you would graduate college sooner. So desperate to become the detective your parents disapproved of, hm..? You graduated at the top of your classes at the academy in everything but hand-to-hand and interrogation." He tilted his head thoughtfully. "But you discovered rather quickly that what you learn in a classroom barely applies in the field. Isn't that right, Ms. Gushike?"

Ren's eyes widened. "I ..." How could he possibly know that? It was.. Those were private records...

Her reaction seemed to be enough for him. His voice continued on in that cruel monotone of his as he hurled comment after comment. "You botched your first case and accidentally shot another officer, which almost led to an abrupt end for your career. Soon after, the Kira Case came along, but you quit to keep yourself safe despite your self-proclaimed determination. Since then, you've worked case after case, clawing for any scrap of admiration you can get." He took another drink of tea, calm, collected, like they were only discussing the weather instead of her failures.

Recovering from a stunned silence, she shook her head. "How the hell do you know all that?" she demanded, ignoring the injury to her pride for the moment. It felt like an invasion of her privacy; it _was_ an invasion of her privacy. She wasn't sure anyone else knew that much about her, maybe Sumi. Certainly not any of her colleagues. That a total stranger just summed up her life's work in a few barbed comments disturbed her on a deep level. Was that all there was to her life? Had she done _anything_ worthwhile all this time? Had she made a difference at all?

He tilted his head back as if he had to think about it. Ren bristled, knowing he was just drawing it out. "Some of it was in the copies the department gave me of their officers files when I worked on the Kira Case," he began. "Others I gathered from the new department records." He met her eyes then. "Most of it is written across your face."

Ignoring his last comment more for her own comfort and a lack of response, she shook her head. "You're not L," Ren insisted, tapping her fingers against her thigh. "Stop trying to convince me otherwise. L wouldn't be like ... Be like-" she frowned, gesturing to Ryuzaki, "- like _this_. L is supposed to be an inspiration to other officers."

He blew out an annoyed sigh at her refusal to believe him. "Please try to keep in mind that Kira was a straight A student, the son of the police Chief. Appearance means very little in life."

Ren's brow furrowed. Though she was loath to admit it, he had a point. Could this person be the real L? Everything he'd said about her had been correct so far, and it stung far more than she cared to say. But... No. No she refused to believe it. Didn't want to either. L was the embodiment of exactly what she hoped to achieve – a genius, crime-solver with an achievement list a mile long. To find out that he was some shut in freak was absurd, and he'd all but called her _a failure_. In so many words, he _had_ called her a failure. If he was L, that would damage her pride beyond repair. No, it could _not_ be L.

But, there was a little niggling doubt.

She squeezed her eyes shut, exhaling through her nose. "Say ... I believed you. That you are actually the greatest detective the world's ever known -"

"You're making me blush," he drawled in an even voice, slurping his tea.

"- Why would you wait until now to get involved in this case?"

"As I said earlier while you were refusing to listen, your press conference was a mistake."

Her frowned deepened as she opened her eyes, studying his strange appearance in a different light now. Though she doubted his words and refused to believe his identity, she understood that he perhaps held some intelligence... Perhaps, he could offer some perspective, and she could explain why she had done it a little better. "I was listening, and you told me why you thought that it was... But WIK hasn't shown citizens the least interest before now, and if he is trying to avenge Kira, then he wouldn't kill an innocent. Kira stood for the ideal of protecting the innocent, even if it was highly misguided," she reasoned.

Setting his teacup on the table in front of him, Ryuzaki kept his spoon, toying with it as he spoke. "That's correct. But you're forgetting something vital: _WIK isn't Kira._ Beyond that, Kira killed innocents several times throughout his spree. WIK will now."

"Killers like this are methodical," the detective woman thought aloud, the words more to convince herself than him. She couldn't deny the truth in what he had said. "We can't say for certain that WIK will change like you're suggesting."

Sighing, Ryuzaki mumbled to himself, "Why does this department never accept my deductions?" Then he set his spoon aside in favor of pressing his thumb into his lip. Louder, he continued, "If you hadn't held your press conference, he likely wouldn't have." She met his eyes again. "But due to your mistake, you backed an animal into a corner. There's a sixty-eight- no, seventy-one percent chance that he's about to lash out, just like the animal you've turned him into. You've put the public at risk, something I know you didn't even consider when I questioned you."

"Then what would you suggest I do?" she questioned, feeling her temper beginning to flare up. However, she tried to keep a handle on it. Already to day, the detective woman had passed her normal limit for anger, and she had grown tired of feeling so out of control. Regardless, it wasn't fair of him to be this accusatory over something that hadn't even happened yet.

"For the time being you just have to keep playing his game."

That wasn't the advice she was expecting. Outraged, she hopped to her feet, causing her chair to skid a ways before toppling over with a cringe-inducing crack. "But more officers will die!"

He lowered his eyes, voice taking on an icy quality that hadn't been present throughout their entire conversation even though the tone had failed to shift overmuch. It unnerved her. "Sometimes in chess, you have to sacrifice pawns to reach check-mate." The cruel calculation of it all... It was _wrong_. He couldn't really believe that, could he? This wasn't chess. This was real life, and those _pawns_ were people, living people with families and ambitions.

"No," she denied, taking a step away from him. "That's wrong, that kind of thinking. If you start thinking of people's lives as no more than game pieces, then you're no better than a criminal." Ren shook her head, any doubts she'd had clearing up. That was the thought-patterns of a sociopath, not a genius. "You're not L. The L I idolized wanted to help people – to save them."

"Saving people was a side effect," Ryuzaki corrected, meeting her eyes. "All I want is justice."

"I don't believe you."

A tense moment passed, neither breaking the eye-contact. "I see you've made your choice," Ryuzaki monotoned. Glaring at him, Ren headed for the door, and he made no move to stop her. "You're belongings are by the exit. We'll be in contact."

"Don't bother," she spat, slamming the door behind her.

Through the door, she heard his muffled voice say, "Hm? She didn't even touch her tea. Rude."

Rolling her eyes, she stormed out after finding her bag, slamming the next door as hard as she could for emphasis. Childish, perhaps, but it felt right. What a waste of time this had been. She was going to head to her apartment so she could change and gather herself before heading in to work. It was as she was riding the elevator all the way down from the forty-third story of a hotel that she turned on and checked her phone.

 **6 Missed Calls. 3 Voice Messages. 8 New Text Messages.**

 _'What the?...'_ Then she glanced at the date and realized she had been absent for an entire day. It was already the next evening, and she had been MIA the entire time. Though she had been bluffing earlier about her team trying to locate her by her phone – impossible since it had been shut down – it was likely they _had_ been if she had disappeared for hours. Ren ran a hand through her hair, forcing herself to take a deep breath.

It seemed she had some explaining to do. Inwardly, she cursed Ryuzaki.

 **'Sorry for the scare. New development. I'll explain when I get in. I have to stop off by my apartment first, so give me an hour or so.'**

She sent the message off to Koji and Yuya, and stepping out into the cool evening air and glancing back up at the building she had been kept in one final time, Ren prepared herself for a long day.

 **~}(3){~**

"How long has it been?" Tsukino asked, drumming his fingers against his knees in an incessant three-beat tapping.

Ogawa exhaled through his nose as he stirred his coffee. "Since she sent the message, or since you last asked?" The normally reserved man smirked though the edge to it belayed any amusement. "Because it's been less than ten minutes from the latter."

Crossing his arms with an air of petulance, Tsukino sent a glare across the table. "Shut up, _Koji_. Oh sorry. I forgot first names were too immature for you."

He scoffed, his own face turning stormy, and Matsuda fought the urge to roll his eyes at the two. Really, the way they carried on... "Please. I said it was unprofessional, not immature," Ogawa corrected. "I only use immature when referring to you," he retorted before taking a drink of his coffee. "Besides, I even redacted the first statement."

"Since when?"

"Since last night when I sent Ren home."

The older detective rolled his eyes. "Thanks for the update, _Koji._ "

"Are you going to say it like that every time?"

Tsukino gave a wolfish grin. "Only till it quits bugging you."

"And you wonder why I think you're immature," Ogawa deadpanned with a twitch of his mouth.

Matsuda, who had simply been listening the whole time, leaned back in his seat, the same one he'd always sat in when they met up to discuss the case before Ren had taken the reigns, and nursed his own coffee. The other two detectives in the room had bickered off and on for the past forty-five minutes since they'd received Ren's message. Any like-mindedness Ogawa and Tsukino had shared during her disappearance had evaporated, and they'd returned to their usual selves. At least they could pull together when something truly dire happened, the dark-haired man conceded to himself.

Technically, Matsuda knew he should probably leave and get back to _his_ work – that's what Aizawa would tell him to do – but he felt justified in that he had helped look for her, even worried for her some could say. So he deserved an explanation for her disappearance just as much as the other two. And if she just so happened to bring up the case in the process, who was he to stop her? No, he supposed there was just no helping it.

Deciding to put an end to Tsukino and Ogawa's argument before it could progress any further, Matsuda slipped his phone out of his pocket and checked the time. He cleared his throat. "It's 6:42. She should be here any minute." He glanced at the door. It was almost always kept shut to allow some semblance of privacy, so they'd know as soon as she entered.

Tsukino chided Ogawa, "See. Would that have been so difficult for you? You could learn a thing or two about courtesy." So much for heading off their argument

Luckily, before Ogawa could respond, the door banged open, and a bedraggled Ren stepped inside. Apparently, she'd been in a major hurry – along with having a rough night – because her clothes were wrinkled as though she'd just thrown them on, her hair mussed and sticking up in odd places. Deep shadows ringed bloodshot eyes, and Matsuda honestly couldn't tell how much of it was from the mascara smeared around her eyes. She looked exhausted.

Jumping to his feet, Tsukino rushed over to her side and took her arm to herd her into her chair. "Are you okay? What the hell happened to you?"

Blinking a few times at the concern in his voice, she offered him a weathered smile. "It's been a bad day." Tsukino walked her over to the table and even pulled out her seat for her. Ren gave him a quick 'thanks' though her eyebrow twitched in a way that clearly told that was enough.

Ogawa gestured to the Styrofoam cup sitting in front of her. "That's yours." Before she could thank him though, he continued, "Now, care to explain where you've been?"

Ren grabbed the small white cup and fiddled with it idly. "Huh ... Now that I'm here, I'm not exactly sure where to start..." She let out a soft laugh though it did little to comfort any of them.

"The beginning is usually a good place," Matsuda offered, raising an eyebrow at her. She glanced up at him for a moment, and he saw warring emotions in her eyes: determination, confusion, and even a touch of fear. Whatever had happened had bothered her deeply, and Matsuda sobered even further. She was acting this strange after a lengthy disappearance. It was wrong. Perhaps, it could be put down to exhaustion, but it seemed more like shock to the senior detective. He'd seen the affects of it quite a few times over the years.

Blowing out a deep breath, she nodded. "Last night, I was on the way home, and I had all these thoughts -" Stopping mid sentence, the detective woman ran a hand over her face with a harsh sigh. "No excuses," Ren said more to herself than them. She met his eyes again with a frown. "I wasn't paying attention to my surroundings and someone chloroformed me."

Matsuda raised his eyebrows at the casual way she had revealed it. So she _had_ been kidnapped after all. Was it the killer? If so, how did she get away?

"What?! By who?" Tsukino demanded, rising to his feet again, his anger returning at the idea.

At the same time, Ogawa tensed. "How did this happen?" he asked, concern coloring his voice. Though he remained seated, Matsuda could tell he wanted to do more. The two officers clearly cared for their team leader, and even if Matsuda hadn't thought her ready to handle this case, he admitted that she at least would do well at holding her team together.

"That's the weirdest part." She laughed, some odd mixture of bitterness and genuine amusement. "He claimed to be L." That caught Matsuda's attention though he knew it was unlikely. Over the years, there had been several occasions where people wanting to be a good detective had posed as L. Nothing had ever come of any of the claims. "But he couldn't have been," Ren added.

Ogawa crossed his arms, expression contemplative. "There've been several individuals with similar claims in the past few years. Usually nothing comes of it, but the department checks it out anyways. Was there any particular reason he couldn't have been? What was he like?"

"Black longish hair. Grey eyes with these crazy dark circles underneath. Overly thin and pale. He wasn't Japanese. Not completely anyways, though I'm not sure of his nationality since he spoke flawless Japanese," Ren explained, tapping her finger against her chin as she remembered. "Oh, and he might've been around my height. It was hard to tell because he was hunched over the whole time like when he was walking or sat. It was really bizarre.. Oh, and he was completely infuriating the whole time.. Thinks we're going about this the wrong way." She shrugged. "He was obviously insane."

Just as the words registered, Matsuda was in the process of swallowing a mouthful of coffee he had retrieved for himself while waiting for the dark-haired woman to return, but he choked, sputtering disruptively. The others looked at him to see what was wrong, but he waved them off. "I'm fine. It just went down the wrong pipe," he explained, voice a little hoarse as he worked to compose himself.

Matsuda couldn't believe it. Everything she'd said had described the Ryuzaki they had all known perfectly. However, if that was the case, why had L involved himself now all of a sudden after so many years of utter silence? ... But then he knew. This case was a direct result of the Kira Case – the case that had made the detective discard his world renown title. Of course he couldn't resist being a part of it, and apparently, he thought they'd done something wrong. That was worrying. Before Matsuda could jump to further conclusions though, he wanted a second opinion. After this was over, he would take Ren to see Aizawa. Then they could get it all sorted.

Tsukino laughed at Ren's description of her kidnapper, returning focus back to the conversation. "Yeah, imagine what a let down that would be if someone like that was L."

Ren gave a tight smile, staring down into her untouched coffee. "Actually though, I think that, despite his appearance, he had some kind of intelligence. Or at least access to police records."

"Why do you say that?" he asked.

A shudder ran down her spine, and she hesitated only for a moment. "He ... knew everything about my life from high school on." Tsukino scowled with distaste at the lack of privacy, and Matsuda gave a soft frown as well. It was hardly unlike L to look into someone like Ren, but the man did think it odd that he had deliberately told Ren that he did.. Was it an intimidation tactic? And what was the point in intimidating someone like Ren anyways? It didn't add up.. But then, Matsuda had always had trouble following the genius detective's logic. They all had. Except, well, Kira.

Frowning to himself, Ogawa asked, "If that's the case, is it possible – at all – that he could be who he claimed? After the recent update to the Department Records security, it would be extremely difficult to acquire those files."

"Are you kidding me?" Ren scoffed, rolling her eyes. "There's no way. As if all that wasn't enough, he was a total ass. After kidnapping _me_ , tying _me_ up, and questioning _me_ to see if _I_ was the killer, he gave me cake, expecting everything to be okay afterwards, and told me we're mucking up this case." The fury in her voice caused Matsuda to raise an eyebrow. Until now, he'd never seen her have an outburst like that. She wasn't prone to that kind of behavior. Then again, Ryuzaki had been incredibly good at drawing out that kind of reaction from people. "He could just be a good hacker," the detective woman dismissed. "He certainly looked as though he'd spent enough time on the computer."

"... He gave you .. cake," Tsukino repeated, his brow furrowing, and he scratched his head.

"Yes, but that's not important." Ren shook her head as if to clear away some thought or another. "I only came to a few hours ago when he questioned me."

"Cake?" Tsukino repeated a look of utter astonishment on his face.

"Are you alright?" Matsuda asked, ignoring Tsukino, careful to keep any emotions off his face. Even if it was actually L, it was a traumatic experience for her, and he certainly didn't agree with Ryuzaki's methods in this case. This was one of the worst ways to go about meeting someone, and at the moment, Matsuda failed to understand the famous detective's reasoning for doing so.

In response to his question, Ren shrugged. "I think so. I mean, he didn't hurt me. Aside from my pride... Mainly, I'm frustrated that he was able to kidnap me so easily in the first place. I should be able to take care of myself by now, dammit."

"I don't think you're being entirely fair to yourself," Matsuda told her.

She didn't reply to that, uncomfortable, and instead stared down at her cup before finally taking a drink. Suddenly, her eyes widened, and she took the opportunity to change the subject. "Hey, this is my herbal coffee." She glanced at Ogawa, who himself was now fidgeting uncomfortably.

"You mentioned it was your favorite, and your message sounded like you had something important to tell us, which you did. So, I made you some."

"Thank you," she said quietly, with a grateful smile.

Just then, Tsukino let out a huff. "We're getting off topic. Shouldn't we be going after this guy for kidnapping?" he reminded them.

"He was staying in suite 4311 at the Fujimatashi Hotel if you want to go after him. "Ren took another drink of coffee. "I doubt he's still there though."

Incredulous, Tsukino ran a large hand through his hair. "Why wouldn't you call us while you were still there? We could've stopped this guy."

Ren frowned at him. "To be honest, I just wanted to leave. Would you have stayed if your kidnapper let you leave?"

"Of course not," Ogawa agreed, placating her. "Anyone in your position would have." He glared at Tsukino.

The other detective raised his hands in surrender. "Yeah, yeah. I probably would've left too." Tsukino slumped in his chair. "I just hate that this guy got away."

The room lapsed into silence for a while then as each officer sipped their drinks and contemplated various thoughts. Finally, Ren cleared her throat, drawing the attention back on herself. "Thank you. All of you. For looking for me."

Ogawa gave a curt nod while Tsukino shot her a quick grin. "What," the latter said, "did you think we'd just leave you on your own?"

"Ren," Matsuda began, seeing the awkward and strained smile pulling across her face, "you're our co-worker. Of course we were going to look for you if you didn't show up. More than that, you're leading a case where the killer is targeting officers. You're disappearance was more than a little worrisome." Matsuda smiled at her then, reassuring her that it wasn't her fault at all, but that they wanted to do that. "Especially considering you never leave work," he teased.

Ren gave a slow nod, blushing lightly. "Sorry that I want to finish this case as soon as possible," she muttered goodnaturedly.

Matsuda rolled his eyes. "I never said it was a bad thing."

Uncomfortable with the current subject again, she waved him off. "Enough about me. Did anything happen while I was ... indisposed?"

Tsukino shook his head. "Not really. We spent the whole day looking for you."

"Speak for yourself," Ogawa cut in, sending the other man a displeased look. "It's not much, but the lab reports and autopsy files came back this afternoon."

"Great," Ren said after she finished off her cup. "Let's go have a look at those." She stood up, heading towards the door with her two colleagues following. However, she paused just before exiting, looking back at Matsuda. "By the way, thanks again for helping out. I mean, it wasn't like you had to do that."

He gave an incredulous laugh. "You really thought I wouldn't? I meant what I said earlier."

"That came out differently than I meant." She looked down. "Just .. Thanks, alright?" Then the dark-haired woman turned rushing down the hallway to catch up with Ogawa and Tsukino, who were waiting for her at the edge of the main room.

As she turned the corner, he had raised a hand, intending to stop her so she could go with him to speak with the Chief. However, she was already out of sight, embarrassed by her admissions, and he decided to find her later that night. Likely, it wouldn't make much of a difference anyways, and it would give him some time to talk to Aizawa and make sure they weren't going to interrupt anything important. Not to mention, he could use the time to gather his own thoughts on the matter.

Sitting there in silence, his thoughts turned towards Ren and the day's events. Maybe she could handle this case. All things considered, it sounded like she took being kidnapped extremely well. She was already focusing on the case again ... A few hours later. Matsuda shook his head. Maybe that wasn't so good. She hadn't even taken the day off. Just then, Ogawa's words about Ren's character returned to him. _'He's certainly right about her throwing herself into work.'_

In truth, that was a very unhealthy habit, but who was he to judge? He did the same thing more often than not. Either way, he would mention to Aizawa that someone should keep an eye on her for the next week or so to make certain she was actually alright. He was hesitant to ask her team, not wanting to shake their faith in her ability, but perhaps it would be best to have either Ogawa or Tsukino do it.

No sense in wasting any more time, he decided, shaking off the thoughts and pushing himself to his feet. Then he headed off in the direction of Aizawa's office, leaving the hum of the break room behind.

 **~}(4){~**

Aizawa checked his watch for the third time in the past minute. By now, he was far past ready to go home to his wonderful wife and two brilliant daughters. He didn't work at the department this late very often anymore as he had figured out the exact importance of his family some time ago now... Late nights, longer days, they just weren't worth all the time he missed with them. However, Matsuda requested he stay, insinuating how important it was, but he wouldn't give many more details than that Aizawa needed to speak with Ren Gushike.

Apparently, her absence from earlier had been resolved, and she wasn't missing after all. That was a relief though it did beg the question of where she _had_ run off too _._ Between the Kira supporters emerging from their normal shadows at WIK's sudden appearance and the panicking citizens – even some officers – the city was more or less in a state of quiet, uneasy uproar. If he didn't have to deal with one of his lead investigator's disappearance, that would obviously be one less headache, and the department sorely needed dedicated detectives like Miss Ren Gushike.

As these current killings progressed, Aizawa predicted that some of his officers would quit so they could protect themselves. He'd seen it happen before and knew it would happen again. Perhaps on a smaller scale this time if they were lucky though the requests for time off had already appeared on his desk from a few of them. In a way, he supposed he couldn't fault them for their cowardice... However, he would admit it made him roll his eyes every time it came up.

Biding his time, Aizawa straightened up his desk, shuffling papers and putting away files. The only sounds he could hear were the constant ticking of his clock and the occasional voices from the hall of officers heading home for the day – much like he wanted to do.

Just before he gave in and went looking for them, Matsuda finally poked his head in with a sheepish smile. "Good. You're still here."

"You asked me to be," he reminded his friend, arching an eyebrow.

Matsuda shrugged. "You used to ignore me when I asked you to stay late." He stepped inside, making his way to one of the seats across from Aizawa with Gushike following him.

"That was one time. An emergency too if I'm remembering right." He nodded at the girl. "Evening, Miss Gushike."

"Evening, Chief Aizawa," she returned, dropping into the other chair with little decorum, an air of exhaustion settled around her. She looked rough to put it lightly.

Getting down to business so they could wrap this up as soon as possible, Aizawa began, "Matsuda tells me you need to speak with me."

Frowning, she nodded and fidgeted a little. "Yeah, he mentioned that." Turning her head towards Matsuda, she crossed her legs. "I'm assuming this is about my kidnapping?"

Kidnapping? Aizawa put the pieces together in his mind and scowled. Her little disappearance hadn't been nothing after all it seemed, and he understood the reason behind haggard appearance now. If that was the case though, _why_ hadn't Aizawa been informed of this development? More so, why the hell was Gushike still working after an ordeal like that? According to procedure, she should've been taken to a hospital, checked over for injuries, and at the very least, given the rest of the week off. He turned to Matsuda, his eyebrow twitching, and a stern but expectant look on his face.

"I actually meant to mention that part earlier," Matsuda admitted with a nervous lilt to his voice. Then, he folded his hands in his lap and looked at Gushike, expression sobering. "I know it might seem strange, but, Ren, I need you to describe your kidnapper to the chief."

Befuddled, she glanced at him for a moment, brow furrowed, but finally, the girl gave a slow nod, a calculating look to her eyes. "Longish black hair, very pale, dark gray eyes, deeply shadowed, stooped shoulders, baggy white shirt and jeans. He also thought he was L," she explained with a cold huff, slight outrage from the memories simmering just below the surface, and one could see how much of a toll the experience had taken on her despite what she may have denied.

As her description built in his mind, Aizawa's jaw slackened. That.. was... There was no one else. Even if it had been years, he would never forget what the detective had looked like. How could he? The man had been so bizarre that Aizawa was sure the world couldn't produce another like him – not even with a hundred years, or a hundred thousand. A myriad of questions fired through his mind, circulating and whirling and grinding together to try and make sense of it all. How? Why now? Where? Instead, all he could get out was, "Ryuzaki?"

Miss Gushike blanched at the name. Brow pinched, she cocked her head. "How did you know his name?"

Hearing that, Matsuda stood up, the information new to him apparently. "Wait. You said he claimed to be L. You never mentioned that name before."

She looked startled by their sudden vehemence, eyes wide as she leaned further back into her chair to gain a little distance back from them. "I didn't think it was necessary. Right before he said he was L, he asked me to call him by that name – Ryuzaki. Why does that matter? Who is he? Do you know this man, or something?"

With her confirmation, Aizawa blinked several times to clear his head, ignoring her questions for the time being. There was no doubt; it was him. No one that had been in contact with Ryuzaki during the investigation would've let the details slip about his alias. It was an unsworn oath between them all to maintain the secrets he had lent them, so there was no way someone could fake it. And it was far too specific to be coincidence. Matsuda caught his eye as he returned to his seat and nodded, confirming his suspicions.

L had returned.

Clearing his throat, Aizawa drew Gushike and Matsuda's attention to himself. As both the Chief and someone who'd been involved with the Kira case, he needed to know why the missing detective had reappeared after nearly ten years. He needed to know everything that had been said.

"Miss Gushike ... Could you start from the beginning?"

She stared at him, one corner of her mouth twitching in denial. It seemed like she already realized why they were reacting like that, but eyes pleading that he give her any other explanation, the woman still asked, "Why?"

"Because," Matsuda answered for him, "you met Ryuzaki, the real L."

A long moment of stunned silence passed before she shook her head with an anger and vehemence that surprised the police chief. "No, it wasn't him. I won't believe it." Then voice quiet, seeming more for her own reassurance than for them, she added, "It can't be _him_."

"I'll make that decision for myself, Miss Gushike. I need you to tell me everything that happened."

Skeptical, but resigned, she began from the time she woke up tied and blindfolded. During her explanation, Aizawa remained silent, his frown deepening into a scowl, and his own anger began flaring up at the reclusive detective's treatment of one of _his_ detectives. Aizawa didn't give a damn whose side the other man was on, but there was a line. And he had crossed it _._ Ryuzaki was L, and Aizawa grew more certain after every word that this was who the girl had met. When she was finished, she crossed her arms with a stubborn petulance. "He can't be L."

"Why are you so certain?" Matsuda questioned with a frown. "I know it's shocking when you first meet him, and he doesn't look like you'd expect. But you can tell he's intelligent – if a little rude."

"Did you not just hear a word I said? A little rude?" she intoned, incredulous. "Considering the scare he put me through, he was lucky I didn't have him arrested. He's an asshole to put it _gently_."

Despite himself and his upset with Ryuzaki, Aizawa huffed in amusement. "I always thought so too."

She didn't even smile. "I can't believe that L is someone who doesn't want to save people."

The sharp tilt to his mouth returning, Aizawa's brow furrowed. "What do you mean? I agree he is a very abrasive person, and he had no right to treat you as he did regardless of whatever his intentions were.. .However, when we worked on the Kira case, he did everything he could to ensure as little loss of life as possible in our situation. He always informed us that there was a good possibility of death if we stayed on and to feel free to leave. He risked his life as much as we did ours."

"Well then, his ethics have changed," she replied shortly. Then remembering who she was talking to, her voice grew more respectful, and the detective woman fiddled with the ends of her hair in embarrassment. "He said that saving people was just a side effect of justice."

Aizawa tapped his chin in a pensive manner. Although he and Ryuzaki had argued and disagreed on many occasions, Aizawa had always realized he was generally a good guy and wanted what was best for the world. Hearing those words were startling in a way. Like hearing someone say they discovered a way that two plus two equaled three. It just wasn't supposed to happen. But even so, he knew it had to be the genius detective. There was no one else... Perhaps Miss Gushike had misinterpreted his statement? But then... It was difficult to misinterpret something so blunt.

"We haven't seen or heard from him since Light's- since the conclusion of the Kira case," Matsuda offered, following the exact same train of thought as Aizawa. Sometimes it alarmed him how often his friend did that. "He could've changed in that time."

Aizawa nodded. "As alarming as that news is, this has to be him."

Gushike met his eyes, and the startled animal look to her eyes made him wonder if she was going to be alright. "You mean, L, _the L,_ kidnapped me, insulted me, and then made me tea?" she clarified.

Matsuda shrugged. "That's a pretty standard first meeting for him, I suppose."

"I met L."

"Yes," Aizawa agreed.

"I met the greatest detective mind of our generation."

"That's him," Matsuda said.

Suddenly, she looked horrified. "I insulted _the_ L!"

 **~}(5){~**

Darkness had long fallen over the city by now, and on this particular block, far away from the headache-inducing bustle of the city, there was little light to cast even shadows, the moon nothing more than a sliver in the sky, a little piece of chipped starlight and nothing more. A neat, little row of carbon copy, bland egg-shell houses enshrouded in darkness lined the black tar street, silent and deserted and void-esque. The occupants of those too-similiar houses had retired to sleep much earlier as they were all filled with only the elderly and the students who couldn't afford better housing and the impoverished hard-working single mothers with their screaming, crying child in stroller. All the lights within each house were extinguished at any rate.

And WIK stood at the end of the street observing it all.

Normally, a police car patrolled this road, along with the surrounding neighborhoods as well. Protect and Serve as was the old motto. However, when the broadcast had gone out on just who WIK was after – a foreseen nuisance, but necessary in the grand scheme of things – the fine, upstanding, filth of the department had abandoned their sheep, instead sticking to areas where their own families lived. To Protect and Serve nothing beyond themselves.

A smile curled the corners of WIK's mouth at the knowledge.

"Human nature is delightfully predictable ... But you know that only too well. Don't you, Kira?" WIK addressed the Shadow, not turning to gauge his response. They let out a quiet laugh. "But that's why you came to me."

Suddenly, WIK frowned, turning to glance at the Shadow, studying its form. "Come," he began, a distasteful curve to his mouth. It wasn't the first time he had needed to end a conversation so abruptly with the Shadow. "We've wasted enough time on idle banter."

Pulling on a pair of plastic gloves – despite the foolish, foolish officers who scrambled after him, one could not afford to disregard precautions – they glanced over the neighborhood one final time before strolling towards the first house on the right. It was just as well as any other, WIK supposed. They were all so painstakingly bland and dull and _boring_. Average. Useless. A single cherry tree blossomed in the yard, a petal or two floating down on the night breeze that drifted through the area, and the fragrant blooms pleased them. Unfortunately, they had much to do that night to allow any further waffling. This dawdling would need to be postponed until a later date, so they passed through the lone tree's shadow.

Then WIK was at the front door. Gaining entry was as simple as turning the handle. In this neighborhood, few crimes were ever committed, none of them more than vandalism. "So trusting ..." WIK murmured. "I suppose that is your doing?" they spoke to the Shadow again. "In your world, there would be no need for security precautions after all." They shared a private chuckle with the Shadow.

Refocusing on their task, they pushed the door open and slipped through, careful to prevent any unnecessary noises. Inside, the space was small, but possessed an air of warmth around it, pale yellow walls, tan flooring, and floral patterned furniture from an age long forgotten, giving it all a hazy, retro, childhood feel. It suited their task perfectly. Oh the police would simply love it, they were certain. Directly to their right, a photograph of a young woman – mid-twenties by their guess – standing in front of an older couple, likely her parents. They all wore bright smiles, seeming unforced and natural. A good memory no doubt. WIK's fingers brushed the edge of this photo, barely touching, and if they closed their eyes, they could just make out the lazy warmth of the sun's rays from the day long ago when the photo had been shot. Then their head snapped towards the Shadow, and they nodded, dropping their hand and moving on.

They crept through the entire first floor of the house, checking each room to ensure there were no surprises to be found and retrieving a knife from the kitchen. However, it was empty as they'd thought. After this, WIK made their way to the stair case, narrow and likely to creak. Keeping close to the wall, the ascended as quickly as quiet allowed. Upstairs was smaller with only a bedroom and bathroom. As they walked towards the small bedroom at the end of the hall, WIK ran their fingers along the cool edge of the knife and listened for any sounds of stirring coming from the inhabitants.

The bedroom door was open, and WIK stood under the archway, staring at the two figures huddled under the blankets on their sides, looking oh so painfully small and vulnerable. None the wiser of their presence. Though the darkness obscured most of their features, they could tell that it was the older couple from the photograph. He looked to the Shadow for approval before he stepped forward, towards the two. Their bright smiles flashed through WIK's head, and they raised the knife, preparing for the inevitable. This was the department's fault. If they wanted to protect themselves, they were going to pay for their mistakes. _All_ their mistakes. These lives were a necessary sacrifice. With those thoughts, the knife plunged, cutting through the air with silent precision, aimed at just the right spot in order to-

All was still, the night bleak and unseeing.

 **~}(6){~**

Ren bolted up in bed out of a restless sleep to the realization that her phone was blaring beside her. After a moment to clear her sleep addled mind, she felt around her nightstand until her fingers closed around the phone. Yawning, she rubbed at her eyes with the back of her hand, and not even taking the time to see who had called, she rasped, "Yes?" All things considered, she thought she did a fair job of keeping the majority of her irritation out of her tone though perhaps not all of it.

" _Ren, it's Matsuda."_ His voice was frantic and less composed than she'd ever heard it, and immediately, anxiety replaced any irritation she had. _"Get your team and head to 27 Otoryuku Ave. Now."_

"I will," she responded, but he'd already hung up on her.

Ren glanced at her phone. The time glowing back at her: _**3:17 A.M.**_

What the hell had happened that Matsuda needed to call her in the middle of the night? Whatever it was had to be important, so she threw her blankets off and slid out of bed. Taking a few steps forwards, she swayed, suddenly dizzy, and leaned against the wall for support. The clorophorm was still working its way out of her system she supposed, her mind working to remember the side-effects and how long they were supposed to last. However, the woman was still exhausted from the previous day, and her hazy mind could not come up with the details. Not that it really mattered anyways.

She still couldn't believe it. The man who'd kidnapped her had been L after all. And she'd been so sure he couldn't be ... Ren knew that this was why you weren't supposed to meet your heroes – so to speak. They would only disappoint you, or in Ren's case, call you a total failure. Regardless, he'd had no right to drug her or kidnap her... It was certainly a hell of a way to cure hero-worship. At first, when she realized that Matsuda and Aizawa really did know what they were talking about with that guy, she had been horrified of her words to him. Then Aizawa had kindly pointed out everything he had done and said to her, and she remembered exactly why she had insulted him in the first place.

Shaking her head, she forced herself to straighten. Ren had dallied enough. This was important, she reminded herself, Matsuda's frantic tone echoing around her mind and rushing her movements. Grabbing a fresh pair of jeans and a simple dark long sleeved shirt, she dialed Yuya and then Koji and repeated Matsuda's message. Then, she stuffed her feet into a pair of running shoes, retrieved her police ID, and was out the door just as Yuya came by to pick her up since she didn't have a car, and he lived closer to her than Koji. Really, she didn't live terribly far from the street Matsuda had indicated, but she needed to be as quick as possible if his urgency was anything to go by.

When they reached the street after a tense and unusually silent car ride, Yuya irritated at being awoken in the middle of the night they were stopped at the end of the street, which was blocked off by bright yellow police tape. "What the hell's going on?" The tall detective demanded as they stepped out of the car. Just then, Koji pulled up behind them and parked.

Other officers – at least a dozen by Ren's count – were scrambling around going in and out of houses. Police sirens were flashing, casting the neighborhood in uneasy shades of red and blue.

When he spotted them, Matsuda ran over to them, face grim.

"What happened?" Ren asked, a sinking feeling in her gut.

Matsuda took a deep breath. "I'm going to need you to stay calm when I tell you," he explained, placing a hand on her arm. "It won't be easy I know, but this isn't your fault."

" _What happened?"_ she repeated, tears welling in her eyes because she already knew. After all, L had predicted it in a way.

"WIK just murdered this entire block."

~ **}(** _To Be Continued_ **){~**


	10. Self-Reproach

_**A/N: ... Sssshhhhh... Yikes...**_

* * *

 **~}(){~**

 **Chapter IX: Self-Reproach**

" _I awoke, only to see that the rest of the world was still asleep." - Leonardo da Vinci_

 **~}(1){~**

Silence.

The improbable sound of silence engulfed her entire world.

Logically, Ren knew the street was screaming with all kinds of sounds and movement at present. But in that moment, nothing registered to the dark-haired woman, and the block felt painfully empty in the wake of Matsuda's announcement.

Hands grasped her shoulders, and her eyes snapped open, leading her to the realization she had closed them at all. Forcing herself to focus, Ren realized Matsuda stood in front of her, saying.. something. Though she wasn't listening to the words, his mouth moved. Probably trying to comfort her about this if she were to guess. Despite the twist in her gut that told her otherwise, it didn't matter what had just happened; she had to pull herself together now, at least outwardly. As the leader of this case, she had to stop falling apart when faced with situations like this.

Of course, that was easier said than done.

Clenching her fists, she shrugged his grip off and sidestepped Matsuda. "I'm fine. I ..." Her voice broke for a moment before she could regain control. "I need to see."

"Ren, are you sure that's a good idea right now?" Yuya asked her, brow pinched in concern.

"For god's sake, I'm a cop too. I can handle this," she snapped and brushed past him too. Heading towards the nearest house, she glanced down the street at the row of houses. Matsuda had said WIK killed them all. L warned her this would happen because of _her_ press conference. This was the outcome of her choice, and she needed to know just how badly she had screwed up. Choices held weight, and Ren needed to read the scales.

Behind her, Ren heard Yuya arguing with Matsuda, saying that she didn't need to be there what with all the stress of the past two days already piled on her. However, as lead investigator she had priority access to the crime scene, which Matsuda was explaining. Only Koji stayed by her side, keeping up with her rushed gait, neither condemning nor comforting. His presence gave her much needed support, and Ren reminded herself to thank him for it later.

A single guard was posted at the door. Before he even asked, Ren flashed her ID, and he moved out of the way. He hadn't even greeted her and Koji, which spoke volumes for either the severity of the situation or whatever was in her expression. Ren honestly didn't know which she was hoping for.

Inside, the heady sent of copper was strong, nearly over-powering in its pungency, and Ren forced herself to swallow over the nausea that made her stomach roll and fold in on itself. Downstairs, everything was completely fine to her surprise, no out of place furniture, no signs of struggle, none of the usual stuff. Glancing around as she pulled on a pair of latex gloves, she spotted a crime scene flag at the base of the stairs.

And when she stood before the simple wooden staircase, she understood why.

Dark crimson streaked down the stairs all the way from the top, and though it was no longer dripping down, it wasn't dry yet either, she thought, from the way it gleamed under yellow lighting. A pale, wrinkled hand stretched across the top step, a plea.

In interest of preserving the crime scene, a ladder had been set up off to the side. Koji followed her, still silent, which she was again grateful for, his expression grim as she dragged herself up the metal rungs. She didn't even know if she could talk just yet. Her limbs felt heavy and refused to co-operate they shook so bad, and overall, she was hollow.

As she clambered up onto the second floor landing, she gazed at the lifeless body before her. He was elderly, his hair thin and gray, skin wrinkled and sagging. Blood was spattered across his face and leaked from his mouth – likely from the thin slash across his forehead that curved down through his top lip. An odd place for someone as precise as WIK to attack since the skull was so thick ... Unless it had only been to toy with the victim. A shudder wracked her body, and Ren squeezed her eyes shut until it passed. A large butcher knife was still embedded in the back of his neck where he lay on his stomach, hand stretching out towards the staircase like he was reaching for some sort of escape, his eyes wide and cloudy and unseeing.

More crime scene flags led down the hall though Ren could've followed the trail of bloodstains herself without difficulty. The shade of red stood out startlingly against the cream-colored walls. Taking careful note of the various stains' sizes and shapes, her mind provided innocuous details about the scene as she walked., trying even now to come up with something that would solve this case. The elderly man hadn't tried to put up a struggle – no broken furniture as of yet or damage to the walls. Even if he had, Ren doubted he could've put up much resistance. He was so frail ... So he had fled. But didn't make it. Why had WIK let him get that far? Mistake? She wouldn't bet on it.

The bloodstains shrank the closer she came to the room at the end of the hall – a bedroom if she were to guess. The smell of iron grew somehow stronger when she stepped through the door. A lamp had been smashed on the floor – not thrown, probably just knocked of the nightstand – bulky shards of porcelain scattered across the ground. The blankets had also been pulled to the floor, but otherwise there was little damage.

Aside from a curled up form on the bed.

Expression blank, Ren stepped up beside the figure. The way it was turned in on itself made it seem impossibly small and feeble. Only wrinkled skin and a long head of dark grey hair told Ren it was the old man's wife that lay in the middle of the blood-stained mattress. WIK had made one stab just under the jaw bone and into the brain. Quick. Maybe even painless. Turning away from the sight with a snarl, Ren felt disgust well up in her when she realized that she was trying to comfort herself with the idea. This woman shouldn't have died at all.

How was she supposed to feel though? The dark-haired woman hadn't met this couple once in her life. She didn't even know their names, and yet they were dead because of Ren's decisions. Albeit unintentionally, she had put them directly into WIK's path of destruction. In essence, _she_ had murdered them.

And the thought filled her with horror, revulsion, _rage_.

With little more to look at, Ren stepped back into the hallway and slid down the ladder just as Matsuda and Yuya joined them. "You don't need to worry about photos or forensics. Aizawa dispatched a team to deal with that since this is clearly more than a two or three person job," Matsuda explained.

Ren nodded. "That's good. I assume they'll send lab reports when they're finished?"

Matsuda's brow furrowed at her strange statement. "Yeah, of course."

Of course they would be sent to her since she _was_ leading the case. However, at the moment, Ren's mind wasn't as up-to-par as it should've been. Very dangerous in a situation like this. She shook herself. _'Get a damn grip, Gushike. You're_ leading _this case. Act like it.'_ Thing was, she didn't feel quite worthy to be leading the case anymore. After all, she had caused a disaster so terrible she felt physically ill.. Yet.. Yet she didn't want to be taken off it either. She could fix this. She had to now. Ren wouldn't fail.

"Alright then," she continued on, finally regaining herself to a degree, using all the anger as fuel for her determination to stop WIK. "I still have to look over the rest of the crime scenes myself." _Have to_ , not want to. Because in all truth, Ren didn't want to face the other faces she knew were waiting for her in those other houses, each lifeless and accusatory. But she had to. Because this was her fault, and she owed these victims her absolute attention if nothing else.

In truth, she owed them much more than her attention, but until the time came where she could take WIK down, this was all she could offer them. And it wasn't enough.

"I figured you would," Matsuda agreed, a look of understanding that wasn't quite pity passing over his face.

"Ren," Yuya spoke up again, hesitating a moment, his voice pleading almost, "you shouldn't be here right now. It's been hell for the past two days for you. No one would think less of you for leaving this until the morning." He took a halting step forward, intending to comfort her again, but Ren stopped him with a frown. "I know this has to be rough."

Clenching her fist, Ren struggled to keep her voice even. "Why? Because this whole massacre is the result of _my_ decision?" She shook her head. "I'm fine. If I can't cope with something like this, then I don't even deserve to be here." Taking a deep breath, she turned towards the door and forced herself to stop talking before she started ranting. It wouldn't look good on her mental health if she blew up on Yuya when he was just trying to help. However, he needed to stop saying all these things that she didn't want to think about. She didn't deserve to turn away from this. She needed to look, needed the image burned into her retinas forever.

No one said anything to her after that.

Just before she stepped back outside, something to the side of the door caught her eye. It was a simple photograph of the old couple with their daughter standing between them. Nothing more, yet the bright smiles captured her attention, twisting her stomach unsettlingly. They were wide and unassuming. Now, those two would never smile again. Their daughter would never see them again. They were dead and gone.

Mouth pressed into a thin line, Ren's gloved fingers ghosted over the edge of the frame before she departed into the night air, heading for the next house.

Then the next.

And the next.

 **~}(2){~**

Twelve total, she found out. There were twelve houses struck all together, and a gruesome tally of twenty-one bodies, according to Matsuda who had walked with her to each scene thus far. As she stood in front of the last house, twenty faces flashed through her mind, most bloodied, several strangled and bruised – but all lifeless. There wasn't much evidence to collect apparently. Each murder weapon had been taken from each house, and the forensics team had doubts that any drugs were used in the process.

Unlikely as it was, Ren hoped they'd find something, a fingerprint, a blood sample. Surely, _surely_ , there was something. This was the biggest spree in years. With so much loss of life, WIK had to have left some trace. No one could be that thorough could they? And dammit, it wasn't fair for him to leave nothing of himself behind when he had taken so much already. However, though it was cynical, she just had a gut feeling that there wouldn't be a trace of her killer anywhere near here.

Bringing her back to herself, Matsuda nodded at the house. "Come on. Inside is the reason I called you in the first place," he explained. "It's how we knew for certain it was WIK."

Ren blinked at that. It just occurred to her that she hadn't even questioned the legitimacy of this being her killer. Then again, Matsuda had told her it was, and really, who else could it have been? These crimes carried the feeling she'd come to associate with WIK, that uncomfortable detached precision. Each kill was impersonal – just a task completed, like an errand. A pointless loss of life.

Following Matsuda inside, Yuya and Koji on either side of her, they entered the two story house, practically identical to all the others aside from the particular shade of white and a set of photographs. The entry way and living area were cluttered with canvases, amateur paintings on them though some were only half-finished, and Ren saw several large paint stains on the oak flooring, telling of long hours spent practicing the art.

"This is where the call we received came from," Matsuda said from the archway that led to the kitchen.

When she entered the room, Ren bit her cheek so hard she drew blood in her effort to keep herself from retching. Yuya's gasp and Koji's own gagging let her know the exact moment they saw it.

Apparently, the victim had been awake when WIK broke in, or at least, Ren assumed she had been painting before she was killed. The girl wasn't very old, perhaps five years her junior, and was wearing a pair of green striped pajamas. WIK had snuck up on her, and it looked like they'd smashed her head into a nearby kitchen counter. Her long hair was matted and sticky with blood and grey matter, where she leaned against the counter. In a macabre way, it only looked like she had fallen asleep against the counter. The thought made Ren's throat dry.

She couldn't take her eyes off the girl's crumpled form.

It could've been minutes before Matsuda broke the silence. "The message is for you, I think. That, or the department as a whole maybe."

Her eyes snapped away from the body, the spell broken. "What?" she demanded. Matsuda nodded to the canvas that the girl had been painting, where someone had scrawled some words over the original piece.

In thick red letters was the message: **PARADISE LOST**

"The phrase is familiar," Ren mumbled, taking a step towards the canvas. After a moment, she realized to her relief the substance WIK had used to paint the message was only red paint – not blood as she had originally thought. Then again, that was probably what WIK had intended.

"It's that story about the war between heaven and hell," Yuya explained, rubbing his chin thoughtfully. Shocked, Koji turned to him. With a huffy sigh, the tall man crossed his arms. "What? I paid attention a good half the time at school."

"Do you think they're comparing themselves to God or Satan?" Ren thought aloud. If she were to guess, she would bet on the former. When a psychopath of this caliber looked in the mirror, they saw god staring them in the face. The world was their plaything, and their definition of play was terrifying. They didn't care for anyone or anything, and this block massacre just showed how little human lives weighed on WIK's conscious.

"Perhaps neither?" Koji offered thoughtfully, brow pinched in concentration. "Wouldn't Kira play God in this scenario?"

"Perhaps ..." Ren admitted, not completely convinced either way. It could be one or the other. With only such short messages from the killer and such little evidence left at all, it was difficult to get a read on them.

Later, Ren would wonder at his timing and just how he'd known exactly where she was at that moment, what she was seeing, but just then her phone rang. Still numb from the entire ordeal, the dark-haired woman brought her cell to her ear, accepting the call without even glancing at the caller ID.

"Yeah?"

" _Are you ready to listen now, Ms. Gushike?"_ a male voice asked, and Ren recognized the voice immediately. After all, she had been going over his words for the past day and a half, almost incessantly over the past couple of hours.

She pressed her eyes closed for a moment. Was she ready? So far, her one decision as team leader had completely backfired. She had thought she could do it on her own. She'd _wanted_ to so badly. If she solved this case, it would finally be a real accomplishment from her time with the department. That was partly why she had rejected every offer of extra help thus far. However, she was starting to realize that there was no way she could do this on her own anymore – or ever, for that matter. She needed help.

And what better help to catch a serial killer could she hope for than from the world's greatest detective?

After a long silence passed, she bowed her head. "Yes, Ryuzaki, I am."

Koji and Yuya just gave her questioning looks as she had yet to explain about L's alias and the fact that, yes, the real L had taken her. But Matsuda immediately stiffened at the words. Though she could practically feel the curiosity radiating from him, he didn't say anything or crowd in on her conversation. Ren had to give him props for that because she wasn't sure she could do the same if she were in his position.

" _Come to the Matari Days on thirty-fifth Street. Room eighteen ninety-six."_

Another hotel? _'I figured as much,'_ Ren thought as she took a moment to commit the address to memory.

"Okay, when we finish up here, my team wi-"

" _Not your team. Just you."_

Ren's brow furrowed. "I don't understand."

She heard him sigh and mumble something like _'an unfortunately common occurrence,'_ before he answered her. _"I've agreed to meet with you, not your entire team. I've also questioned only you."_

"Then question them too." She didn't think that would be such a problem. Really, he hadn't asked her very many questions overall.

" _That would require more effort than I'm willing to put in right now. It's also very unnecessary. Miss Gushike, you'll have to receive_ my _help on_ my _terms."_

Rubbing at her eyes with the heels of her palm, she relented, "Fine. Alone. I'll go as soon as I'm done here."

" _As you wish."_

Ren didn't say anything else as she snapped the phone shut. In truth, she wasn't sure she bought his explanation of why her team couldn't come also, but she wasn't exactly in a position to start demanding things from him. She was going to meet with L again ... At least he hadn't drugged her this time. Although she didn't know a whole lot about the effects Chloroform had on the system, she doubted that breathing it in twice in a week would be good for her health.

"What was all that about?" Yuya asked.

Ren hesitated for a second. "I have to go meet with ... Someone who thinks they can help with the case." Matsuda met her eyes for a moment, raising a brow at her. She did her best to communicate 'later' to him without being overtly suspicious. It wasn't that she didn't plan on telling her team about L, but he had been very adamant about her coming alone. What if he didn't want his involvement in the case known? With the way everything had been going, Ren was suddenly hesitant to make _any_ sort of decision on her own. So, she would keep quiet about it until after their meeting. Then she would know where he stood with everything. As loathe as she was to admit it, she needed his help.

Turning her back on the last victim and WIK's message, Ren continued, "He's asked to meet me alone. Otherwise, he won't give his help."

"Do you think he knows anything?" Yuya asked, eyes narrowed. Ren could tell he wasn't buying her story and neither did Koji if the suspicious glances they were giving her were anything to go by.

"That's what I'm going to find out." She looked over at Matsuda. "Was there anything else you needed to show us?"

He shook his head. "This was it. You're good to go. Aizawa is planning on addressing the press directly due to the scale of the crime here."

"Alright." Ren nodded; that was probably for the best too, and quite honestly, she didn't feel up to dealing with those assholes today. "I need a taxi," she continued. "Koji, get me a copy of that book for later. I haven't read it since high school. Yuya, keep working through that supporters list. But first, go home and get some sleep."

"You're not even going to let one of us drive you to this meeting? And what about you? You need to rest as well," Koji reminded, a frown curling his mouth.

Ren shook her head. "I can't say how long it'll take, and he said alone. I get the idea that he's the sort that'll know if I even _thought_ of bringing back up," she explained with a sardonic smirk. After a moment, the two nodded and accepted her choice without further protest though she knew they were less than pleased by the latest turn of events.

With nothing more to say, the group left the crime scene behind, heading into the brisk morning air. Letting the others walk ahead, Ren paused at the front doorstep to look around. Already, the night had passed, and the sky was dull with the grays of twilight. Checking her phone, she realized that it was nearing six in the morning. Had it really been only a few hours since the block murders had happened? It felt like they'd been there a lot longer.

A small chalk drawing on the sidewalk across the street caught her eye, and Ren closed them against the guilt that welled up in her. The child who'd drawn that had just lost their grandparents. How was she supposed to fix all this? In a way, it was like WIK had already won. Her fist clenched.

"You're not asleep are you?" a very familiar voice demanded.

Ren opened her eyes to see Sumi standing in front of her. "What are you doing here?" As far as she knew, her sister didn't work through the nights anymore – especially not with another kid in the house.

"I _was_ coming to check on my baby sister, but now I can see you're right in the middle of a pity party," she answered, examining her nails.

Ren's face darkened. Pity? No, she was _furious_ with herself for failing so many people. "These people died because of me," she hissed, taking a step towards her sister.

A flash of surprise passed over Sumi's face before she managed to conceal it, and the other woman matched her step for step. "No, they died because a deranged psycho killed them," she retorted, scowling now. "You don't get to be all 'I did this, it was me.' That's not how it works when you're a cop, Sis."

"But it was _my_ decision that brought WIK here! Everyone else seems to realize that!" When she saw a few people directing looks their way, Ren took a deep breath and made a note to lower her voice. Easier said than done since Sumi always knew exactly the wrong buttons to press.

Rolling her eyes, Sumi scoffed. "You say that like you gave WIK a ride in your car."

"Look, I don't have time for this right now. I have to go." Ren moved to brush past her, but her sister caught her arm, whipping her back around to face her.

"This conversation is not over," she told Ren, eyes hard, but the dark-haired detective had no intentions of backing down. Perhaps Sumi realized that too because eventually, her grip slackened, and her frown twitched. "Whenever you finish up with whatever the hell it is you're doing, we're going to finish it."

"We'll see," Ren snarked back and jerked her arm away, stalking towards the edge of the crime scene.

"I'll break into your apartment if I have to," Sumi warned, crossing her arms under her bust, and Ren knew from experience she wasn't joking.

Still feeling the need to be difficult, she tossed the retort over her shoulder, "Then maybe I'll stay at a hotel."

"Come on, Ren... This isn't like you."

"Fine," she relented, slowing to a stop, her frown deepening. At the moment, Ren wasn't happy with her sister in the least, but Sumi was her closest friend. She couldn't shut her out forever, and the detective always preferred dealing with these fights as soon as they begin anyways. Before the pause grew too long, she turned back to her with a sigh, realizing that her sister had matched her step for step. "But Hatsumi ... Just don't make light of this. Please." Coughing awkwardly, she added, "You're like a little kid. You don't take things seriously."

Sumi's expression softened. "That's only because you're always too much of an adult." And with that, the tension left the conversation, and Ren knew everything would be fine between them. Honestly, that was one of the quirks she loved most about her sister. Even if they had just been fighting, Sumi always tried to find a way to make her feel better.

Ren snorted. "This isn't exactly child's play anymore."

"Was it ever?"

"... No, I suppose it wasn't."

Without another word, Ren strode away from the neighborhood so she could hail a taxi. By then, quite a few reporters had caught wind of the massacre, so Ren did her best to slink by unnoticed. She was hardly in a position to speak to her sister and team. There was no way she could handle reporters at the moment. Luckily, since she wasn't in uniform and had come out in a round about way to avoid as many people as possible, she managed to sneak through without too much effort, and soon enough, she flagged down a taxi. After giving her driver the address, Ren let her head fall back against the seat with a thud.

Once more, her thoughts turned to the case. Though lately, they never really fell on anything else anyways, so it wasn't exactly a surprise. This time, Morino's face was joined by the twenty-one block murder victims. All the deaths she had caused. All within seventy-two hours. How was she supposed to accept something like this?

Sumi had always been good at picking herself up, dusting off, and moving on. However, Ren was fuzzy with the 'dusting off' part. Every mistake weighed on her, and normally, that helped her to avoid making the same mistake twice. But this was her greatest failure to date, and it wasn't only on her head. It had affected so many others as well, and now, for the first time, she wasn't sure how to fix this.

Well, she knew what needed to be done, but she didn't know _how_ to do it.

With a growl of frustration, Ren slammed her fist against the window, ignoring the way the driver jumped and shot her a terrified look to see if she would do it again.

Even if she didn't like him – actually, she still rather _disliked_ him – she hoped L would have some answers. Now, she couldn't discount either his identity or his genius since he'd already predicted what everyone else had failed to. What she'd failed to. And god knew she had to be crazy, but a small part of her that had idolized him for so long was excited that she was working with L even if it came with all the insults and degradation he'd met her with so far.

All in all, she just wanted to end this case – to end WIK. If that meant she had to sacrifice what was left of her pride, then so be it.

She just wished the faces would go away. Never before had a case affected her so badly. Pressing herself even further into the seat, she scrubbed at her eyes as if it would wipe away the memories.

She was already so tired. And everything had barely begun.

 **~}(3){~**

Idly biding his time, L added yet another sugar cube to his ever-growing tower. Currently, the stack numbered twenty-three though his record was thirty-five. Perhaps he would break his record today though, for he had some time to kill still yet.

Over half an hour had passed since he had contacted Miss Gushike, and he knew she would be arriving sometime in the near future. Considering how long it had been since he last entertained guests, L decided he was being a pretty good host. This time, he had procured muffins to go along with coffee instead of tea. She would need it after such a long night, and he would find it annoying if he had to keep waking her up in the middle of their conversation. L disliked having to repeat himself about things like this.

She was ready to listen this time according to her. Perhaps they might actually accomplish something that morning then. Last time, she hadn't reacted well to his words at all. So much so that Miss Gushike had flatly refused to believe he was L and stormed out in a huff. In the brief time he'd known her, she'd proven herself rather thick-skulled and closed-minded – very by the book. A problem since this killer had decided to ignore the book in its entirety.

WIK was hardly Kira, but that's where the killer's origins were partially grounded – L predicted there were some deeper issues involved as well for obvious reasons. Killers like Kira attracted the interest of killers like WIK, so L supposed this was bound to happen eventually. In fact, he had been counting on something similar cropping up for the past several years now. Though, he had hoped the police would have been able to handle it without his intervention. Of course, the genius detective should've known better.

L stared at the white cube between his fingers before eating it like it was. While he was in the middle of placing another cube on the tower, she knocked on the door, and his tower went sprawling across the coffee table. With a small sigh, he called out, "Please, come in, Ms. Gushike."

A brief pause lapsed before he heard the sounds of her coming in. However, he didn't immediately turn to her, choosing instead to reform the scattered sugar cubes into a pyramid. Only when he heard her footsteps pause outside the sitting room did he glance over his shoulder at her. She was standing in the threshold with her arms crossed over her chest, making her look awkward and closed off, as though she wasn't quite certain she wanted to be there. It seemed she still retained her animosity towards him even though his prediction about the case had been correct. That was to be expected.

"Have a seat if you would." L gestured to the couch across from him where a tray laden with muffins and a cup of coffee was placed. "Help yourself to whatever you wish."

As he took in her appearance, L knew he had been right to choose coffee. Even though she'd been drugged and in the throes of panic last time he saw her, Ren Gushike seemed somehow more haggard now. Deep black circles that nearly rivaled his own ringed her tired eyes, and her hair was a mess, her simple shirt and jeans rumpled. Altogether, she looked numb, withdrawn and disturbed. Obviously, she was still in shock from WIK's latest murder spree. When they spoke on the phone earlier, he'd guessed as much by the tone of her voice. If he were to guess though, it was wearing off as her eyes drooped a little more as each second passed.

As she settled down into the couch, the dark-haired woman picked up the coffee cup, eyeing it with apprehension. He'd dressed it much like his own, remembering her words from last time. She'd ignored the tea he offered her when he last saw her because she was angry, but perhaps she didn't trust him not to drug or even poison her this time. Though it was exasperating, he understood her position to a degree. He certainly wouldn't drink anything she made for him.

Finally, she took a small sip. Her lips puckered into a frown as she swallowed, brow furrowing. "What's in this?" she questioned.

"Nothing more than milk and sugar."

"It's ..." She trailed off, searching for the right word. "Sweet."

Canting his head to the side, he noted that she was clearly attempting to uphold a more civilized front than previous. "I made yours with less sugar than mine." As her eyebrows raised in disbelief, L slurped his own drink and ignored her unvoiced disgust. "Now," he continued, glancing up at her, "on to the reason I asked you here. First, would you turn off your cell phone."

To his surprise, she didn't question his reasoning for once and complied with the request. _'Not part of her shock... She definitely feels guilty for not listening last time.'_ Then she took another drink of coffee, this time only wincing slightly.

"Thank you. Secondly, I ask that you refrain from taking notes during our meetings."

Her brow furrowed. "I thought you said I could fill in my team later on."

"Yes, that's right." He tapped the center of his forehead. "Keep everything that happens in your head. According to a test you once participated in, you scored fairly well on cognitive retention, so surely you can manage this."

"Of course," she mumbled with a huff, a bit put out. "Can we move on to WIK now?"

L offered a mute nod before picking up one of the muffins and taking a big bite of it. Speaking around the mouthful of food, he said, "I assume you wish to hear my thoughts about the killer?"

"Well, yeah," she agreed. "That's why I'm here right?"

Ignoring the last comment, he began, "This killer is intelligent as is obvious, but they're also a part of society, someone with a job and a life outside of their ... extracurricular activities."

Ren Gushike nodded and tucked a strand of hair behind her ear, expression thoughtful. "That's why the killings are seemingly randomly spaced and only take place late in the evening or very early." He was glad that the cloudy expression in her eyes had faded entirely now and hoped she was keeping up relatively well.

"Yes, along with the night providing a better set up for a murder for anyone without supernatural assistance."

"So you don't think WIK has a Shinigami?"

L brushed his thumb against his lips. "If they did, then they're not using a Death Note at the very least. They should've been able to finish taking out every officer apart of the Kira case by now with ease."

"I didn't think so either, but I wasn't sure I should rule it out entirely since we don't know much about them." She drank more coffee. "How would you advise my team to investigate?"

"At the moment, your best lead is to keep looking through the supporters lists. Pay close attention to the ones who have no alibis for the murder dates and perhaps a minor case of OCD."

"Why OCD?"

"WIK has an obsession with perfection. So far, they've left no trace of themselves other than the messages they've left for you."

Nodding, Miss Gushike began drumming her fingers against her knee. "I'd also like to discuss those messages. Namely, the latest one."

"Paradise Lost..." L mumbled more to himself than her. In truth, there were several possible meanings to the phrase. The war between God and Satan. Perhaps even a literal one in that the paradise that they'd lived in for so long had been fractured. _'It's better to rule in hell than serve in heaven.'_ The last held the most interest in his opinion, and for the time being, he leaned towards that as the definition. Maybe WIK intended all three however. It wasn't as though they were mutually exclusive.

"Is he casting himself or Kira in the role of God? Or do you think there's a different meaning?"

He remained silent for a moment. "It's difficult for us to decide something like that." Meeting her eyes pointedly, he continued, "You realize we can't use this as a lead."

"Why not?" She frowned at him again.

Sighing, he elaborated, "Because this killer is smart, they're not going to deliberately leave something damning. You're seeing exactly what they want you to see." He took another slurp of coffee. "For all you know, this could be purposefully misleading."

With a frustrated sigh, she leaned back and crossed her arms under her bust. "So you're saying I should just ignore a message like that?"

Was she even trying to keep up with his thought process anymore? He had been optimistic after her first comment, but perhaps he should've waited to hold this meeting until she'd slept some first. Mentally, he made a note that this woman was more or less useless when lacking sleep. Again, he sighed heavily through his nose. "Why would you think that? No. Of course, you should pay attention to the messages. But don't look for what the killer _wants_ you to see."

"And what is it that he _doesn't_ want me to see?" she asked, finally understanding what he was trying to explain.

L tilted his head back. "Until we get more messages – and we will get more – we aren't able to conclude very much. However, both messages were literary references, so it's likely they're well versed in the subject. Other than that, the messages prove that WIK's getting bolder as they escalate the crimes. They believe they're untouchable at the moment."

The two were silent for a time, both drinking their beverages as she turned over his words in her mind. While the moment stretched on, L returned to building a sugar cube tower. It was odd working with another person again after so long. Somewhat annoying too. A regular person could never keep up with L mentally. BB had come close, and WIK seemed to be making an effort. But Kira was the only one who ever truly matched his wit. And what did that say for L?

Only sociopathic killers were on his level.

Finally, she retreated from thought, clearing her throat to draw his attention. "How long do you think it will take to catch WIK?"

"It doesn't matter," he dismissed before finishing off the last of his coffee. "In the end, justice always prevails. We just have to keep playing their game until then."

"More cops will die the longer we take," she protested, a furrow working its way into her brow though she managed to keep her temper under wraps. Miss Gushike was shaken from the previous night; he could see it in her eyes, the desire for all of this to end, to prevent any more deaths.

"You misunderstand, Miss Gushike," L informed her. "You seem to think we have some choice in the matter." He crushed a sugar cube between his fingers. "Right now, WIK is in control. They call the shots. We react. Eventually, they'll make a mistake, and I'll stop them."

"I see..." She trailed off, leaning forward to rest her elbows on her knees. "L, one more thing. How much of your involvement do you want me to tell my team?" When he didn't answer for a long time, she continued, "I mean, you went into hiding for a long time, and I would understand if you don't want them to know it's you."

In truth, he was almost surprised by her words. L had assumed she would just tell her team, so at least inwardly, he gave her a little credit. And he noted once more that she truly did intend to turn away from her previous approach now that it proved disastrous for her, and that would expedite matters, assuming she listened to his instructions as she should... If only she could apply the same forethought she had used here to something actually important.

"Ah, I suppose it doesn't make much of a difference. However, I would suggest you keep my involvement out of the press as it would cause panic, and the killer would react strongly to the news as I am almost assuredly his biggest target."

She nodded. "Of course." Once more, they fell into a brief silence as the dark-haired woman picked at her nails. Clearly, she had something she wanted to say, yet she was stalling. Finally, she released a deep breath. "I suppose I should thank you."

"Hm?"

"For helping," she clarified, careful to not meet his eyes.

"Ah, that is unnecessary. I'm not doing it as a favor for you or the police department for that matter."

"Even still." With that, she finished off her own cup and wearily stood. "How can I get in touch with you if I need to speak to you?"

L pushed another chunk of muffin into his mouth. "I have an email address you can use if you absolutely must. I will contact you from it in the near future," he explained. With what he knew of Miss Gushike, he doubted she would be able to provide him with any information he didn't already have or couldn't find on his own. Years on his own had taught L that if he was actively focused on one case, there was nothing he couldn't find out.

"But, what if-" She gave a defeated sigh, attempting to keep her irritation from showing. "Fine. When exactly should I expect to be contact?"

"Perhaps soon," he answered being vague on purpose, wanting to push her and see how she reacted. Her fist clenched in frustration, but she didn't argue with him on it. Really though, he had already answered her question, so if she was going to play dumb, then he would too.

"If there's nothing else, I'm going to head out."

L nodded, returning his attention to the sugar cubes. "Very well, Miss Gushike."

With nothing more to say, she headed off, stifling a yawn with the back of her hand.

 **~}(4){~**

When Ren made it back to her apartment, she had two messages on her home phone and an email – likely from L already. Huh, perhaps she'd been getting worked up with him for nothing earlier. He seemed to have that uncanny effect on her. Regardless, she was too exhausted to care, so she simply bypassed her computer and answering machine and made her way to her bed room. There, Ren fell face first on her mattress.

Yet, even as tired as she was, Ren wouldn't be able to fall asleep for several hours yet. Instead, she lay there as a myriad of face swam through her mind. One of which, was the shadowy face she dubbed WIK, and that elusive form haunted her dreams for the day and the days to come.

 **~}(** _To Be Continued_ **){~**

* * *

 _ **A/N: So, so so sorry about that wait... Was never my intention, I swear. But no excuses this time. That was outrageous, and I'll definitely try better this time. Anyone still here to read this? I hope you all liked it (however few remain). Thank you for your patience!**_

 _ **A huge thank you to everyone who reviewed the last chapter! And of course, to all my readers.**_

 _ **ONWARD!**_

 _ **\- Alyssa**_


	11. Reconciliation

_**A/N: Aha! I did it! Barely over a month and I updated... That's good right? Well, better. Thanks so much for all the support guys.**_

 _ **ENJOY!**_

* * *

 **~}(){~**

 **Chapter X: Reconciliation**

" _I know that we never get over great losses; we absorb them, and they carve us into different, often kinder, creatures." - Gail Caldwell_

 **~}(1){~**

Sprawled out on her couch with her feet propped up on the far end, no one would've ever guessed that Sumi was actually nervous. But they would be very wrong, which was not surprising. People guessed wrong a lot when it came to her. Even her lovable dunce of a husband got it wrong sometimes. _'Takeo tries though,'_ she placated herself. Ever since she'd ran into her sister that morning, an uneasy feeling had settled in her gut. She knew her sister better than Takeo knew the inside of their fridge – God bless his paunchy soul – and Ren was throwing everything she had into this case.

Now, this hardly differed from the norm Sumi'd come to know. The only thing was this wasn't a case Ren could put herself into so whole-heartedly. At least not without a whole lot of scarring to be had. Sumi had been with the department for a long time – longer than her sister at any rate. She'd seen cases like this before, knew the effect it had on the officers who worked them. It took tough skin and an ability to distance yourself from the case to make it out with only minor scars and a head of bad memories. Ren would tear herself apart if someone didn't give her a good smack across the face.

And Sumi was mid smack right now.

When she'd had seen her just standing on that doorstep with her eyes closed, she'd had to step in. Ren looked worse than she'd seen her in years. The last time she'd looked so harrowed was when her first boyfriend had broken up with her while they were stuck at the hospital with their Uncle Hatari, who was having heart surgery. And then there was Ren snapping at her that morning – legitimately, not playfully. Another first time in a long time. Her sister was bitchy at times, but never honestly mad at her.

But she guessed that could be a good thing. Normally, Ren kept everything bottled up and let it eat away at her, doing God knew what to her psych. Perhaps ranting a little about it did her some good. Of course, she was blaming herself within that rant ... All press was good press, Sumi supposed.

Ugh, and speaking of ... The long-haired woman flipped the TV off. Even though it had only been a few hours since the block incident, every station on the radio and television was covering it, and none of them were saying very nice things about her sister. _'Damn it, Ren. What were you thinking when you promised them safety?'_ She hadn't been able to talk to her after the press conference, but that move on Ren's part had smacked of trouble, regardless of any good intent on her sister's part. WIK had proved that he didn't care who was on the other side of the knife, rope, syringe – Sumi'd done several autopsies of his work already – whatever. An entire block of civilians who had no connections to the Kira Case had been murdered, and from where the public stood, it looked really bad for Ren.

Many were calling for her to be removed entirely since she'd proven herself inept and a liar. Oh that made Sumi mad. Stupid cows. Like they could do any better. Luckily, Aizawa had released a statement earlier that despite the tragic occurrence of what had been dubbed 'The Block Massacre,' Ren would remain in charge for the time being, and that there was no way this event could've been predicted at the time of the last press conference. Good on the chief. Sumi'd always like him – even back when he'd had that stick wedged up his ass.

Just then, Sumi's kettle started whistling in the kitchen, and she got up to take it off the heat. Ren had called a little while ago, so she had put on some tea. She also had a pint of ice cream and some homemade mochi for emergencies. Tilting her head side to side, Sumi decided this was close enough to an emergency and pulled those out too. Now, she just had to wait.

Soon enough, a knock sounded at the door, and the pathologist hastily made her way to answer it. When she opened the door, Sumi inwardly sighed with relief. Ren hardly looked like she was feeling one hundred percent, but the circles under her eyes were lighter. Her clothes were also in better shape, clean and less wrinkled.

Satisfied with what she saw, Sumi stepped back and nodded towards the kitchen – their usual meeting spot. "Come on. I've got tea and desserts."

Ren just nodded and quietly followed her in. Once she'd sat down at the kitchen table, she blurted out, "I'm sorry for earlier. It's been a bad week."

Sumi snorted, passing her a mug before taking a seat across the table from her. "No kidding."

"If it makes you feel any better, you're not the only person I have to apologize to."

"Ha! Fantastic." She rolled her eyes as she picked up a piece of mochi. "Who else faced the wrath of Ren."

Wincing, she took a sip of her drink. "One of the guys on my team."

"Ogawa, Tsukino, or Matsuda?" Sumi asked, popping the carton of ice cream open.

Frowning, Ren stood up and retrieved two spoons without prompting. "It was Yuya ... Matsuda's not even on my team."

"Could've fooled me with how much he's got his fingers in everything."

Ren shrugged, dipping out a massive spoonful of vanilla. "He's got good reason to be interested, and I'm certainly not going to tell him to leave when he shows up when we happen to be discussing the case. He's really insightful."

"Huh..."

"What?" Ren asked, biting into a piece of mochi.

"Nothing. Nothing." Sumi waved her off. Not that Ren was particularly vain, but she was prideful. Normally, she didn't care for outside advice or opinions. It was like she thought they were correcting her or something. It was an odd change to hear her say something like that. That deserved a bit of investigative work of her own.

Letting the subject drop, Ren glanced around as she registered the tranquility of the house. "Where are the kids?"

After she swallowed another bite of ice cream, Sumi answered, "School was canceled today because of what happened with the murders, turns out a few kids in their class were related to a few of the victims, so I told Takeo to take them on a field trip or something."

"Oh," Ren replied simply, her face darkening at the reminder, and she carefully set her spoon down.

"Can we not?" Sumi asked suddenly, a little bit of frustration leaking into her voice despite her best efforts to remain even.

"Not what?"

"Go through the whole spiel where you blame yourself, and I argue against it. It's a lot of effort to defend someone against themselves you know, and I'm not nearly so self-sacrificing to pander to you right now." Really, she was tired of her sister doing that to herself, and she damn well wasn't going to tip-toe around the subject of WIK around her. Sumi didn't tip-toe – she stomped.

Irritated, Ren ran a hand through her hair, an odd look entering her eye. "I can't just turn it off. Especially when I've got an entire city agreeing with me."

It seemed she'd turned on the TV at some point today. "Tell me," she began, crossing her legs. "How does this whining make you a better detective."

"I told you to take this seriously."

Sumi's face hardened. If Ren wanted to act like this, then it was time for some tough love. "Oh, I'm dead serious. How is your crying over some dead people fixing anything?"

Gripping the edge of the table, Ren was able to keep her temper better controlled this time now that she'd been able to rest for a while. "They're people that were killed because _I_ made a call to tell them they were safe from WIK."

"Do you even listen when other people talk?" Ren flinched from the words. "Listen to me now," she instructed slowly. "You do not control what a psychopath does. You made a bad call, yes. But how is blaming yourself helping anyone?"

"I have to hold myself accountable or -"

"Don't worry. You've got a city full of idiots ready to do just that for you already." Pausing to let that sink in, Sumi took a drink of tea. "Don't add to their numbers."

When Ren didn't say anything for a long time, Sumi massaged her temples. How ironic that she still got a headache on the one day she didn't have two kids screaming in her ears. Sighing, she summed up, "Look, my point is that you need to focus more on finding and stopping WIK than on how much you _think_ you messed up."

Propping her elbows up on the table, Ren let her head fall into her hands. "I know," she whispered, voice sounding strangled. "Believe me, I know. It's just so hard when all I can see is their faces. Even when I slept earlier, I saw them in my dreams, blaming me for killing them."

Standing, Sumi pulled her sister into a hug, propping her chin on top of Ren's head. For a moment, Sumi wasn't sure exactly what to say. "I know it's hard," she finally said, voice grim. She wished she could comfort her sister, but Ren would be better off with the truth. And her sister was strong; she could handle it. "And it's going to get harder, probably by a lot, but you have to keep pushing. The best way to make it up to WIK's victims is to stop him, and you will. You've always been a kickass detective," she finished, giving Ren one final squeeze before she returned to her seat.

"Thank you," Ren told her after a minute.

"You good now?" Sumi asked before shoving an entire mochi into her mouth.

"Better, I think," Ren admitted as she hesitantly picked up her spoon.

Shrugging, Sumi tilted the carton of ice cream towards her enticingly. "So, anything new with you?" Now that the heavy stuff was out of the way, she decided they could move on to better subjects.

Tapping the fingers of her free hand against her chin, Ren casually scooped out another bite of ice cream. "Well, it turns out I got kidnapped by L two days ago."

Sumi choked on her tea, and Ren laughed. What the hell? When she settled down, she sputtered, "Care to explain that one?"

"Sure thing," Ren agreed. They spent the next few hours simply talking and filling each other in on what was new, and when Ren eventually left, Sumi was content in the knowledge that she at least took some of her words to heart. Good. Sumi was one step away from straight up slapping her, physically not metaphorically, and she wasn't in the mood to hurt her hand.

 **~}(2){~**

"Hey, Matsuda, where are you headed?" one of his co-workers, Tadahiro was his name, called out as he made his way out of the station around seven-thirty that evening and fell into step beside him.

"I'm meeting someone for dinner," he explained politely, but vaguely.

"Oh, you got a hot date tonight?"

Laughing a tad awkwardly, Matsuda scratched the back of his neck. "Something like that." The other man just laughed at that, and Matsuda gave a quick goodbye as they turned in opposite directions, heading into the cool evening air.

In truth, it wasn't a date he was going on at all. He was going to meet with Ren and talk to her about how her meeting with L went as he had a vested interest. However, Aizawa had already scolded him once that day for his continued involvement in the Unmatchable Murder Cases, and he hardly wanted to get yelled at again. Honestly though, after having known him for so long, did Aizawa really expect him to keep his nose out of this? Even if he hadn't been so heavily connected to the Kira Case, he would've wanted to be a part of this one. But since it _was_ connected, Matsuda refused to have no part in it.

Besides, Aizawa's hands were too full with the public for him to really notice.

Still, he wouldn't be able to take charge of it like he wanted to without being noticed, and when it all ended, he wouldn't get any recognition for his part. For the first, that was something he could deal with. So far, he'd been able to keep himself up-to-date on all the inner-workings of this case, and even though he didn't think Ren minded any of his less than subtle inquiries – meddling some would say – or at least she hadn't given any indication that she minded, he wondered if she would let him work with them on it. As for the second part, he had never cared much about getting recognition of that sort. He wanted to be _valued_ and _useful_ true, and even the recognition for a job well-done was satisfying as all hell, but it wasn't the end all be all. Ever since he'd joined the department, his main focuses had been to help people by getting rid of criminals and being useful to society as a whole.

Earlier that day, about a half hour after Ren had left to meet with Ryuzaki, Matsuda had left a message on her answering machine asking about the reclusive detective. She had only gotten back to him roughly an hour before and asked if they could discuss it in person, so he suggested they meet at a small diner he knew of off Kinumachi Street called the Blooming Orchid, saying they had good udon and donburi there.

Luckily, it sat not too far from the station, and he could walk the distance on foot. Few people walked the streets that evening due to the poor weather. For most of the day, the skies had been grey and swollen, but around five that afternoon, they had burst open and sent torrents of rain down. Now that he thought about it, Matsuda realized they had been having a premature raining season this year, and he wondered if it would extend into the usual raining season as well. Honestly, he didn't mind the rain so much even though he had a lot of bad memories associated with it. He liked it because it gave everything a fresh new feeling, and even being caught in it wasn't so bad when you had an umbrella like he did.

A few minutes passed, and soon enough, he found himself at the aforementioned diner. Glancing at his watch, he saw that he was only a few minutes late and wondered if Ren was already inside. It was just about then that the sounds of hurried footsteps and a few curses drew his attention. Looking in the direction it came from, Matsuda saw a woman with dark hair, jeans and a light jacket running down the street towards him, and after a moment, he realized it was Ren herself.

He waved at her in greeting, but she didn't even slower her pace. Instead, she barreled through and linking her soaked arm around his dry one, she dragged him inside.

"Sometimes, I really hate the rain," Ren muttered, more to herself than him, as they stepped out of the freezing torrent and into the warmly lit restaurant.

With her short hair plastered to her face and her clothes dripping, she looked half-drowned, and a sizable puddle was pooling below her. When they saw the mess she was making, one of the staff members brought out a small hand towel she could use to dry off with, which she thanked them graciously for as they gave her a strained smile.

"Where's your umbrella?" Matsuda asked as he led her over to a small table near the back of the building.

Ren shrugged. "I don't have one. Normally, I don't need it." After they sat down, she gave a short laugh.

"What?" he asked, confused at her change in demeanor.

She shook her head. "You're terrible at giving directions, you know that?"

"Why do you say that?"

"I've been wandering around this area for the past half hour looking for this place," she told him, unfolding her napkin and placing it over her lap. "I finally broke down and asked for directions from a little shop owner up the street."

"Eh, that sounds more like you're just bad at following directions," he teased. "I got here just fine."

"I'd be more worried if you didn't since you've been here before."

Just then, their waiter arrived and took their drink order. They spent the next few minutes discussing trivial matters, but after he returned with their drinks and they ordered their entrees, the two sobered and began discussing what Matsuda had actually called her there for.

"So, I take it this meeting with Ryuzaki went better than the first one?" he asked before taking a drink of water.

Shrugging, she idly picked at the table cloth. "I guess. Well, I mean, I'm not ready to shoot his face in this time ... He's still an ass though."

Matsuda laughed. "You sound like Aizawa right now."

"Huh?"

"Back when we worked on the Kira Case," Matsuda explained, "Aizawa had about the same attitude as you do about Ryuzaki. I tried to mediate a couple of times though it didn't really work since no one listened to me back then."

Curious, Ren raised an eyebrow. "Oh? Why not?"

Matsuda actually blushed a little, remembering how his younger self had acted at times. Though he supposed he should give himself a little leeway since he had been pretty new to the force, it still embarrassed him when he thought of what all he'd done. Scratching the back of his neck, he finally answered, "Ah, well, I was a pretty different person then." Then, perhaps a little hastily, he changed the subject. "Anyways, what did L say to you this time?"

With a sigh, she propped her elbows up on the table. "His main point was that we're more or less in the middle of a very one-sided waiting game. Until we know more, the best thing we can do is sort through those files you put together. Oh, he also mentioned that WIK probably has OCD."

Matsuda nodded. "That makes sense, and it helps narrow your search down quite a bit."

"Other than that though, we don't have many leads to go on." For a moment, she looked distant, even vaguely concerned, but it was gone in a flash. Then she more or less gave him an exact rundown of all that was said between her and Ryuzaki though her expression was strained and perhaps a little too jovial for the subject matter. However, despite his suspicion, Matsuda didn't pursue the subject just yet.

As their food arrived, Ren shrugged, adding, "Oh, he also insulted me some more."

It was Matsuda's turn to shrug then. "He takes a while to grow on you. Though it sounds like he's different now."

"How so?" Ren asked, genuinely curious. They'd never really talked with anyone about L outside of those who knew him. Perhaps Aizawa had spoken with Aiko on it a little bit when she was writing that paper. In other words, it was likely she knew very little of him, or at least how he had been.

Matsuda took a moment to think, digging into his food. "It'd be easier if I'd seen him in person with you, but it sounds like he's ... I don't know, hardened. He just sounds different is all, more harsh."

"Oh," she answered simply, and he felt the need to defend the genius detective.

"I don't think it's completely his fault. From what you've told me, he hasn't mentioned having someone else working with him, right?"

"What do you mean? He's been a recluse for years."

"Back during ... everything, Kira convinced a Shinigami to try and kill L and his partner. Up to that point, a man named Watari had been helping too," he explained, voice grim. It was not a fond memory, and the death had been a hard one to accept. "They were very close from what I know."

"Oh, I .. see ... How come no one knew about that?" she asked, her food ignored in her curiosity.

"Mainly because the deaths – we'd assumed L was dead at the time too – were going to be kept secret." He glanced down at the table. "We couldn't let the public know how much ground Kira had gained." Coughing, he continued, "Anyways, my original point was that it sounds like he's been completely on his own all these years."

"Why would he do that to himself?"

"He was never very trusting to begin with ..." Trailing off, Matsuda shrugged. "You'd have to ask him that though, and I doubt he'd give you an actual answer."

Ren made a little noise of agreement as she took a bite of her food. For the next few minutes, they remained silent, picking at their food, and Matsuda kept sneaking glances at her out of the corner of his eye. Now that they weren't speaking, that odd expression from earlier had returned. Though there were any number of reasons for the current look, he got the strange feeling this was something new. Unlike earlier when she had looked physically pained and angered, she now seemed distant and lost in thought. However, it wasn't like Matsuda knew her particularly well. Perhaps this was just how she coped with experiences like the Block Massacre and the death of Morino.

Still, ever since he picked her out to work with him and the others on the case, they had begun to become friends, or amicable co-workers at the very least. It was with these thoughts that he felt the need to at least ask, "Are you alright?"

Her attention snapped to him, and briefly, a guilty look crossed her face. "What do you mean?"

"You just seem a bit out of it, I guess."

"Sorry, I just have a lot on my mind," she admitted.

Matsuda nodded. "It's fine. I imagine you do between the recent murders and Ryuzaki."

A strained smile flitted across her features. "Yes, exactly. You know better than most what it's like to deal with that guy."

He noticed she avoided talking about the murders. In truth, he understood her position. When you were facing a ghost like WIK, it was frustrating beyond belief. You felt useless and at times even defeated. Even not directly working on the case anymore, he was frustrated there was nothing he could do. Though he wanted to tell her they would catch their killer soon, it wouldn't make her feel any better. It might even make her feel worse after the recent string of events. No, best to avoid giving any false hope.

Instead, he said, "Just so you know, if you ever want to discuss the case or want help, I'll do what I can."

She nodded slowly. "Won't you get in trouble with Chief Aizawa?"

"Probably," he agreed with a grin.

"Won't I?"

"I'll take full responsibility, I assure you. Plus, Aizawa will know well enough whose idea this was. I'll tell him I tricked you into it."

After a moment, she nodded again, a grin pulling at the corners of her mouth. "Thanks. I might just take you up on it some time, especially if you have more restaurants like this up your sleeve. This is seriously good."

"I'm sure I can come up with something."

After that, they finished their meals with only a little more light conversation, and after they split the check and paid, they made their way to the door.

The rain had yet to let up and displayed no signs of doing so any time soon, and as he watched Ren, who was nearly dry now, stare out the door with resigned trepidation, he decided to take pity on her. After all, Matsuda was nothing if not a gentleman.

"Here."

Looking over at him, she saw the umbrella grasped in his outstretched hand. Immediately, she shook her head. "It's fine, really. I'm headed home anyways."

"Are you sure?"

She glanced between the umbrella and the rain. "How about this," she began, "I'll walk with you to the station since it's pretty much in the right direction for me, and then, if you still feel like parting with it, I can return it to you tomorrow."

Matsuda shrugged. "It's really not a big deal," he said as he opened said umbrella and stepped outside. "But I thought you came from that direction," he pointed in the opposite way of the station.

"Well, yeah, but I was coming from Sumi's. My apartment's a few blocks past the station."

"Sumi's your sister right?"

Ren nodded, falling into step beside him. "Yep. She's actually the one that got me into police work," she admitted, drawing her jacket tighter around herself. Even without the rain soaking them, it was pretty cold outside.

"How did she manage that?" he asked politely.

"Well, she's a little over ten years older than me, so I was, I guess around fifteen when she started working." She laughed for a minute. "She was still living with Mom and Dad when she started, and she'd always come home with these overly gruesome stories from work for me and Cindy. They were supposed to scare us, made Cindy throw up once, heh, but it kinda backfired." She paused. "Well, on my part. Cindy still can't handle that stuff."

He laughed at that. "Is Cindy your other sister? I don't ever hear either of you mention her much."

The mirth faded from her eyes then, and for a moment, he wanted to take back the question. "Yeah, she's our younger sister. She's a big photographer for some American magazine. Her and my mother live there now," Ren explained, sounding a bit put out.

However, Matsuda was hardly about to push on the subject. "I see."

"Do you have any siblings?" she asked, glancing at him out of the corner of her eye.

Nodding, he cringed as a car zoomed by on the street and splashed them when it hit a puddle. "Yeah, I have an older brother named Otogi. He works for a corporation

ration in the Kansai Region as their head accountant."

"It's a nice area," she offered. "Since I told you, how did you end up working at the department?"

Matsuda just shrugged. "I've always liked the idea of being able to help people, but I never thought I'd do well as a doctor or something like that. Whenever the time came, it just seemed like the natural choice I guess."

They would've continued their conversation, but at that moment, they reached the department. Before she could protest, Matsuda shoved the umbrella into her hands. "Thanks for filling me in on everything, and remember my offer."

Smiling obligingly, she nodded. "Will do." With nothing more to say, she gave a quick 'goodbye' and turned to make her way down the street, and he entered the station. He realized that the concerned, distant expression hadn't made any more appearances on their way back, and he almost wondered if perhaps it had been his imagination all along. And if it _had_ been there, it made him glad he could distract her from whatever problem she was facing, if only for a little while. Sitting back down at his desk, he began sorting through the stacks of paperwork Aizawa had assigned him as punishment with a sigh. Even if it wasn't all in his head, he couldn't force Ren to tell him what was going on.

Only time would tell, he supposed. Though he did hope she would let him be more involved in the case even if it was off the record. That was a long shot though.

 **~}(3){~**

Pacing back and forth in her living room, Ren refreshed her computer page each time she passed. She desperately needed to talk to L, and he hadn't contacted her yet like he promised he would. When she'd gotten home earlier, there were two messages and an email waiting for her. It turned out the two messages were from Matsuda and, oddly enough, her mother, who had apparently caught wind that she was working a high-profile case and wanted her to be careful, and she had assumed the email was from L. Now, it was said email that she really needed to discuss with him.

After the fourteenth lap, Ren forced herself to stop. Taking a deep breath, she flung herself down on the couch. Part of Ren was extremely unnerved – completely and thoroughly – but another, stronger, part of her was determined and knew something like that could mean a major turning point in the case. But she was treading a very thin line right now. It could back fire in a heart beat if she didn't play this close to her hand.

Ren was a big girl, and after her conversation with Sumi, she knew that even though she'd made a mistake – a grotesquely monumental one – she had to move on if she was to be of use to anyone. Later, after all this was over, she could sulk as much as she liked, preferably with a bottle of rice-wine or ten, but she had to stay focused on the case and do whatever it took to keep from making the same mistakes.

That was why she wanted to talk to L. Now.

Instead of just proceeding on her own, Ren wanted his advice on the subject so she wouldn't end up causing more trouble. In her opinion, they could use this to their advantage, so she wanted to email them back. However, it seemed that she couldn't trust her own judgment entirely anymore, so she would talk to him. And depending on the route they chose, they couldn't let a lot of people know about this, and it might need to stay between only her and him.

After a few more minutes passed, she strode over and refreshed the page. Her heart skipped a beat. There it was.

 _ **No Subject:**_

 _ **Ms. Gushike. Here is the promised means of communication. However, I would**_

 _ **appreciate it if you refrained from flooding my inbox with benign matters.**_

 _ **Sincerely,**_

 _ **Rue Ryuzaki**_

As she began to type out her reply, she rolled her eyes at the jab, but then she paused, giving the computer a wary glance. Ren would admit that cybernetics was not her most polished skill. As such, she wasn't completely aware of the extent of a proficient hacker's capability. Best not to risk it.

With that in mind, she pulled out her phone and spent the next ten minutes creating a new email address and typing out her reply.

 _ **Subject: Ren Gushike**_

 _ **Ryuzaki, major new development. Call me now. I don't think I should use my computer**_

 _ **for emails right now.**_

 _ **Ren Gushike**_

Flipping the phone shut, she bit down on her knuckle. In truth, she wasn't entirely sure how to explain exactly what she felt. Determined still seemed to be the best fit though, she thought. Luckily, she didn't have to wait too long for his call, and soon, her phone began buzzing.

"Ryuzaki," she answered.

" _You said you have a new development in the case?"_

Ren inhaled sharply through her nose, pausing for just a moment. Then she said, "WIK sent me a message personally."

 **~}(** _To Be Continued_ **){~**


	12. Surprise

_**A/N: What's this? Two chapters in one week? I know right? But anywho, enjoy! Thanks for all the support everyone!**_

* * *

 **Chapter XI: Surprise**

" _The trouble with trouble is, it starts out as fun." - Anonymous_

 **~}(1){~**

The other end of the line was silent for so long that Ren wondered if she had accidentally hung up in her haste to tell him about this new development. Or perhaps he already knew something, or maybe he really was behind it... There were several possibilities she had considered while waiting for his email earlier, but most were ruled out after a moment. _'I don't think he'd go this far just to test me, or at least, not after he already_ did _test me... It wouldn't make any sense.'_

She would be lying if she said it hadn't shaken her up. How could it not? But more than that, it filled her with determination. If L only gave her the go-ahead, she could pursue this full out. Patience... She just needed patience. Though really, she'd been patient all day. She'd visited Sumi, taken care of her business with Matsuda... All the while keeping this little tid-bit to herself... She didn't want to ruin it by letting anyone else know, but it really had been difficult to put it out of her mind at all..

However, his voice finally came through, _"Hm.. I suppose this was always a possibility – though are you certain it's actually WIK? Perhaps you should start from the beginning."_

"Yes, of course," she agreed, falling back on her bed with a vague weariness. "I found his email after I woke up this afternoon..."

* * *

 _Pouring herself a cup of herbal coffee in order to help herself wake up, Ren repressed the urge to yawn. Since she hadn't made it back to her apartment until half-past seven that morning, she only let herself sleep in until two before dragging herself out of bed, showering, and heading out to grab some takeout from a nearby restaurant. After returning home and eating, she'd then spent the next few hours flipping through the files Matsuda had compiled like L had suggested, highlighting anything that peeked her curiosity and circling the names of those who fit the profile. However, she couldn't force herself to focus on it._

 _All those faces still floated in her mind, distracting her from her work._

 _While Ren slept earlier, she'd seen them then as well, their faces accusatory, like they knew it was her fault they died. Every so often, she had glimpsed another presence among them, whispering in their ears, pointing at her before giving this eerie little chuckle. This one gave her an uneasy feeling, and in her head, she knew it was supposed to be WIK. However, they always stood in the shadows, and she could never make out any of their features. She'd awoken drenched in sweat after that._

 _So, since she hadn't been focusing on work anyways, she'd flipped on the TV ... Her stomach had dropped when she realized all the stations were talking about the same thing._ 'How did this happen?' 'Bumbling detective-' 'Failure of the police departme-' _They'd been discussing WIK's latest spree and her incompetency._

 _With nothing left to do, Ren decided to get something to wake herself up and then try her best to get some work done on the case, which led her to the present. She stilled owed Sumi a chat, but that could be dealt with later. She just wanted to get_ something _done._

 _Once she took a drink of her coffee, Ren made her way over to the answering machine that had been blinking red all day. The first message was Matsuda, who wanted to discuss L and how her meeting with him went. The second came from Sumi asking when she was coming over that evening. Remembering her attitude earlier, Ren ran a hand through her hair. She definitely needed to apologize for that. She had actually snapped at her... Ren couldn't believe it. The last time they fought was … Well, she didn't even remember when they had a real fight last. Later. She would fix it later. She owed WIK's victims more than an apology, and there was only one way to fix this for_ them _._

 _Feeling morose, she settled down at her computer and pulled up the one email she had received that day. Since it came from an unknown address, she figured it was indeed from L. However, when she opened it, there was nothing in the email besides a link. Clicking the link, she frowned as a blank screen popped up. Then after a moment, it redirected her to a blank chat room. When nothing happened after a moment, Ren slowly clicked the chat box, and the notification that 'user 010100100110010101101110 is online' popped up. Then a message appeared._

 _ **Good Evening, Ms. Gushike.**_

Who is this?

 _She typed back._

 _ **I'm someone you have waited to hear from for quite some time now. For obvious reasons, I cannot disclose my true identity. However, the masses have taken to calling me WIK.**_

 _Ren rolled her eyes. When L said he would contact her, Ren thought he'd just give her an email to use, but this was going above and beyond in the way of privacy. When she began typing, she noticed that the first two messages had disappeared._

Nice try, Ryuzaki, but I'm not fooled. Really though, isn't this a bit much?

 _A moment passed._

 _ **Ryuzaki ... Ryuzaki ... The name is a familiar one, but I confess that I'm unable to place it.**_

Well, it should be, seeing as you were the one who told me to call you that.

 _Ren frowned ... Something felt very off about this. Although she didn't know him well – then again, who did? - the way the other user wrote didn't feel like L's speech pattern. And they hadn't insulted her once so far. But it could still be him. L was one of the most intelligent people to ever live, according to legend. Surely, he could change a speech pattern and hold in an insult for the sake of a … What was this exactly? A joke? It felt very off._

 _ **I see ... An alias for one of your colleagues then? I think that sounds most likely, don't you agree?**_

Alright, this isn't funny, Ryuzaki.

 _She was careful to use the alias again in case this wasn't him. Alarm bells were ringing through her head, but the next messages silenced them all and sent a shiver down her spine._

 _ **Did you enjoy the message I wrote for you?**_

 _At that, Ren froze. Were they referring to the message left at the block murder? She didn't know what else they could be talking about. Especially when they claimed to be WIK... Still though. Was she just projecting her worries on to this anonymous sender? Thinking carefully, she typed slower now._

I need you to be very clear here. Are you confessing to committing the acts of murder, along with burglary and vandalism, that took place at 27 Otoryuku Avenue early this morning?

 _ **Good to see that criminal justice degree of yours paying off, but in answer to your question, I wouldn't say I'm confessing exactly. You see, confession carries with it the connotations of admitting defeat, and that's hardly the case... I have no desire to turn myself in. No ... Rather, I wish to extend an offer to you.**_

 _Ren ran a hand through her hair as she read the message several times. This had to be a prank of some sort. But then ... they hadn't released any information about the two messages to the public, so if this was WIK – which she was still fairly sure it wasn't – then he would be able to tell her what they said right?_

I'll hear your offer, but first, prove to me that you're WIK. What did your message say?

 _ **Hm? Which do you refer to, I wonder? Well, I suppose it doesn't make much of a difference since I've seen neither of them reported on. PARADISE LOST was the latest though.**_

 _Well, shit. There were only a handful of people who knew that, and she seriously doubted any of them would do something like this to her. What should she do? Call for back up? Try and trace the signal? Before she could do anything, however, another message from them popped up._

 _ **Please, Ms. Gushike, if I were you, I would listen to my offer and my terms before I acted rashly. Let's not waste an opportunity.**_

 _Swallowing thickly, Ren wondered just how he knew what she was thinking, feeling more than a little unnerved, and the worst part was that she realized if she wanted to pursue this avenue at all, she was going to have to play by his rules for the moment. She didn't have a choice in the matter. She wouldn't keep this to herself. At least, not completely, but there was no time to figure out exactly who she could trust with this info, whether or not it was really him. But she had to at least pursue it as if it was... At the moment, their case was more or less at a stand still. If this would break that..._

I'm all ears then.

 _ **Quite. Well then, now that we've verified my identity and gotten past that pesky part where you try to call for backup, I'll explain. My offer is a simple one. I**_ **offer** ** _you conversation, much like the one we're enjoying now. Perhaps, if you're having too much trouble scurrying after my "trail," I could even advise you on your next course of action. However, it would be entirely up to you whether or not you really wanted to believe me, and of course, these talks are quite the opportunity to analyze me – if you're competent enough._**

 _Not for the first time in their interactions did Ren need to re-read the message over and over again before it truly registered. The situation was just too surreal. Even though she still wanted to believe it was somehow a prank, the detective knew she couldn't afford to disregard it as such. Shifting in her seat, Ren felt the odd sensation of being watched._

What's in it for you then? From what you've said, I only see the positives for me.

 _ **Why, only the simple pleasure of speaking with you, Ren. May I call you Ren? After all, we'll be getting to know one another quite thoroughly.**_

 _A shiver crawled up her spine, and she squeezed her eyes shut. What should she say? She'd never prepared for a situation like this because it was too bizarre. This kind of thing didn't happen. Once again, the victims from her dream and the shadowy figure flitted through her mind. However, this time the shadows seemed to recede for a moment, and she came to a decision. She had to do it. Later, she could worry about the consequences and next steps, but if she didn't take this first step, then the choice would be lost entirely. Finally, she responded._

If that's what you want. However, it hardly seems polite for only one of us to refer to the other by their first name.

 _ **Unfortunately, that is how it must be. Surely, you agree that it is better than the alternative, which is to say no contact at all.**_

Of course. I'm assuming this is part of those terms you mentioned earlier.

 _ **Indeed. One of several, as it is, and while we're on the subject, I suppose I should go over the rest. First and foremost, these talks will remain between you and I. If I get even the slightest hint that you've discussed them with anyone else, I will cease and desist speaking with you. Is that clear?**_

Crystal.

 _No, of course not, but it's not like she was going to tell him that. She refused to repeat past mistakes. She would not do this on her own. There had to be at least one other person that knew, and even though he made her want to shoot him on a good day, Ren knew L had to be the one. Then she would tell her team, if L thought that was a good idea... After what happened with the Block Massacre, Ren was – though ashamed to even think it – hesitant to make a move without consulting him._

 _ **Good. I would also ask that you restrict our conversations to your computer so I can have a small amount of insurance that you're not showing this to anyone – inadvertently or not. Now, you may have noticed our messages erase themselves after a short time. This is intentional as well.**_

 _Ren nodded to herself since she had been wondering about that. Under her breath, she counted to twenty before the message erased itself. A self-erasing server? That wasn't something she'd ever heard of before, but apparently, it was possible.. How much tech knowledge would one have to have to set something like that up? Could he have gotten help for it? She made a note to contact a few people and see who all would be able to create a server like that._

Is that all?

 _ **Hm... Yes, I think that's it. My apologies for cutting this short, but it seems I have a meeting... So, for now,**_ **Ren** ** _, I bid you goodbye. We'll be in contact very soon, I believe..._**

 _After that, the notification that they went offline came up. Though she wasn't sure how much time passed, Ren sat there staring long after the last message deleted itself. Part of her still couldn't believe WIK had just contacted her – that she'd just spoken civilly with a serial killer. In fact, if it wasn't for the blank chat room on her screen, she would've thought she was crazy. With that in mind, she bookmarked the site for future use._

 _However, just as she was about to exit out of the browser, another message popped up._

 _ **Oh, and if you would, tell "Ryuzaki" hello for me. I'll make an exception for him.**_

 _Reading that, she pressed her face into her hands and took a deep, shuddering breath. How could he know? Even when she had thought it was L, she was careful to refrain from giving anything too telling away. L had been missing for nearly a decade. The Kira riots hadn't brought him out, nor had anything else all that time. How could WIK possibly predict just who Ryuzaki was? Furthermore, why had WIK even contacted her of all people? Was it because she was leading the case? That had to be it didn't it? But then ... The press conference. Everything seemed to loop back to that, and that's when it had all began really. Had it actually only been a week ago? Less that actually... So much had happened. Since then, WIK had been very active. Surely that was how she caught his attention._

 _Regardless of whether or not the answer should've been obvious for a police officer, the question now was: did she want it?_

* * *

"That was about four and a half hours ago, and I've been trying to get in contact with you ever since," Ren finished, running a hand through her hair. Well, waiting for him to contact her was more accurate, but he already knew that. When she told him what happened, she'd done her best to give him a rundown of what was said without weighing it down with her own thoughts and opinions. She wanted to give him a clean slate to work with.

" _That's quite the story ... It seems WIK poses a greater threat than I first thought.."_

"How could he possibly know that Ryuzaki is you? Maybe it's just a way to rattle me ... What do you think?"

" _They just contacted the lead investigator on a case related to the Kira Case in a more or less untraceable way. It only makes sense that he would come to the conclusion that the person you expected to contact you was myself."_

Though he couldn't see it, Ren nodded in agreement. "I suppose you're right."

" _I believe,"_ L continued, voice oddly muffled in a way that made Ren suspect he had shoved some food into his mouth, _"that WIK's end goal is to kill me. So perhaps that also affected his prediction... He's certainly been trying to draw me out for a while."_ He paused for a moment. _"Tell me, why do you believe WIK would choose to contact you over anyone else?"_

Ren tapped a finger against her knee. Even though that had been the question she'd been pondering all day, it surprised her that question was the first he chose to ask after hearing what she'd told him. Regardless, Ren was past questioning his methods for the most part. "Two possible reasons are that I'm the one who's leading the case and that I'm the one who held the press conference about his targets ... Though the two are closely related."

" _Perhaps ..."_

"You have a different thought?"

" _I have many different thoughts than you, I would imagine."_

She frowned, and they were silent for a moment. Though she couldn't be sure, she thought that was an insult to her intelligence in some form. "Well, what do you think I should do with this?" she asked.

Ryuzaki sighed, a sound that was becoming sadly familiar. Was it bad she was getting used to it? _"These messages fall under the same course of action as the ones found at the crime scenes. Even though you shouldn't disregard them completely, don't rely on them as a means of finding WIK. Of course, any of this only applies if we are actually dealing with WIK."_

"Who else could it be?"

" _Anyone with a fair amount of hacking skill could access police records to get that information. How did you think_ I _knew about them?"_ he asked, voice as even as ever.

"Yeah but ... you're L," she said as if it was the simplest idea in the world. Perhaps that wasn't the best argument to use, but it occurred to her that she actually _hadn't_ thought about how he had known about the messages at the crime scenes.

" _Hm, I suppose that's a compliment then."_

"Of sorts," she admitted. "So, if these messages all follow the same plan, I should be trying to get a feel for what WIK's actually like."

" _Indeed. Whenever he next contacts you, keep that in mind."_

"Alright, I will. Should I tell my team about this? They need to know right?"

" _For the time being, it would be better if you contained this information to as few people as possible. It's likely WIK has ways of keeping tabs on anyone you're close to."_

"I... Alright." That sent another shiver down her spine, and she made a note to tell Sumi to keep an eye out for anyone acting suspicious around her.

" _Was there anything else you needed?"_

"No, that's it for now."

" _Very well. You can contact me if you find anything significant."_

"Sure thing," she agreed before she flipped her phone shut and sat up, a deep breath escaping her mouth in a rush.

She felt significantly calmer now about the whole deal. It was much less daunting knowing that, not only had she made the right decision in pursing this idea, but she also had filled L in on what was happening. That was the difference in her now. She wouldn't pursue decisions completely alone unless she absolutely had to.

Stifling a yawn, Ren realized that it was getting fairly late by now, but she had one more thing she wanted to do before going to sleep. Making her way to her dresser, she pulled out her journal. After something like this, she needed to document it – though she highly doubted she could forget. However, when she flipped to the latest page, she realized she'd already started the entry. It just said:

 **WIK contacted me today.**

Ren rubbed at her eyes. God she was tired. It really had been a long day if she was forgetting little things like this. Shaking it off, Ren pulled out a pen and set to work on finishing the entry.

 **~}(2){~**

Koji wrapped his fingers around his cup of coffee as he sat in the conference room across from Tsukino. Once again, as seemed to be the case more often than not, they were waiting for Ren to arrive. Though this time, it was only because they had both arrived a little earlier than strictly necessary.

After her reaction to the block murders the day before, both men were admittedly curious to see how she was fairing today. Well, Koji was curious. Tsukino still seemed upset with – perhaps concerned for he should say – her since she had snapped at him. In truth, Koji wasn't terribly worried for her. Ren had proven to be determined and able to bounce-back so to speak. She would be able to handle the massacre and move on. He had faith in that. However, it did make him wonder how much pressure it would take before she cracked ...

At that moment, the object of their thoughts walked into the room. After a day of rest, she seemed to be in better spirits. Her attire had reverted back to its usual state, and her hair was combed properly today. Though, she still looked tired, black smudges still ringing her eyes. Of course, that sort of thing was to be expected at this point in the case, stress weighing down on her as it was.

Sweeping into the room, Ren dropped her satchel and set her coffee on the table before taking her usual seat beside him. Though it was obvious in the tenseness of her shoulders that she could feel the curious stares on her, she was doing her best to avoid them and seemed rather .. embarrassed? Yes, that was the right word. What was she embarrassed about? Her behavior the morning previous? That was foolish if she was embarrassed for her attitude towards Tsukino. The man had pushed, and she pushed back. Really, he had hoped she wouldn't retract her words.

Just as he was certain Tsukino was going to speak up – because clearly _someone_ had to speak at every opportunity, no need to enjoy the quiet – Ren cleared her throat and straightened. "Look... Before we get started, I wanted to apologize for my behavior yesterday – especially to you, Yuya," the detective explained, careful not to meet their eyes as she stared down the opposite wall. "It was unprofessional and not befitting of a task force leader. I hope you'll forgive such an occurrence. As you both know, it was a rough morning and -"

"Relax, Ren," Tsukino cut her off with a good-natured, if a little hesitant, grin before she began to ramble in earnest. "We get the picture, and apology accepted."

"It was hardly needed in the first place," Koji added.

Rolling his eyes at him, Tsukino continued, "I admit, I shouldn't have been so pushy about the whole thing."

Finally, she let her eyes wander over his face. "I ... It was still wrong to yell like that."

Shrugging, Yuya took a drink of his coffee. "Again, no harm done. Now, what do you say we get started on the actual problem here again?"

A small smile pulled at her mouth, relief practically tangible around her. "Sure thing ... Oh actually, I should tell you both something else first."

This time, Koji straightened in his seat, pushing his glasses back into place. Something in her expression told him this was important. He wasn't sure what though ... Quiet confidence, disbelief, and maybe another trace amount of embarrassment, though that could've lingered from earlier. Koji prided himself on his ability to read people even if he wasn't the best at interacting with them. Really, he supposed it was just a perk that came from living with someone like his father, the need to read someone's mood...

But now was not the time for such thoughts.

Scratching the back of her head sheepishly, Ren continued, "Remember the guy who kidnapped me?"

"The one claiming to be L," Tsukino filled in, raising an eyebrow.

"Assuming you didn't get kidnapped again in the span of three days," Koji added, narrowing his eyes. He was getting a little irritated with her stalling. If this was important, then she should just tell them.

"Right ... Well, and I know how this sounds, but as it turns out, he was the real L."

A beat of stunned silence passed before Tsukino burst out laughing. "Good one, Ren."

Koji, however, was not so quick to laugh. In fact, he hadn't been as skeptical as Tsukino when she'd first mentioned it. Of course, he had disregarded it rather quickly along with them, but it had been nagging at him. Though neither had discussed it with him directly, Koji had caught the tale end of enough conversations about L between Chief Aizawa and Matsuda over the years. From what he knew, L was a strange individual. Combine that in conjunction with Ren's own odd behavior yesterday about the person she had to meet with, and it actually made sense. He had been wondering about it since then, and it felt good to have his suspicions confirmed.

When he realized no one was laughing with him, Tsukino glanced around and scrubbed a hand through his hair, a frown creeping across his features. "Wait, you're not serious are you?"

Ren winced in sympathy. "Matsuda and the Chief explained it all to me after I told you guys about it."

"That means you knew yesterday for certain when you went to meet with him," Koji said, frowning.

When it dawned on him, Tsukino crossed his arms. "Yeah, that's true. Why didn't you tell us then?"

"I didn't know if he was okay with it," she defended herself. "He's nothing like you think he would be, and he did tell me I couldn't even bring you two with me. So what was I supposed to think?"

"Why aren't we allowed to meet him?" Koji asked, admittedly disappointed He had wanted to meet the great detective for some time now. In truth, he regretted not joining the Kira task force all those years ago, if only because he would've been able to meet such an important person to the world.

Ren shrugged, brushing her hair back. "I don't really know. He gave me some bullshit answer about not wanting to question you like he did me, but I'm not buying it."

"You're saying we don't get to meet L?" Tsukino asked, sounding put out as well.

In answer to the question, Ren shook her head. "Not unless he changes his mind. I'm not losing whatever trust I've gained" Running a hand across her forehead wearily, she added, "Besides, you don't want to meet him anyways. He's infuriating. Smart, but infuriating Mostly, he just insults me if that's any comfort to you two."

It wasn't really. If L was such a genius, wouldn't he agree that meeting with them would likely expedite the case? "What does L think we should do then?"

"Until we know more, we're on the right track with the Kira supporters. Specifically, we should look into people with -"

At that moment, the door opened, and Chief Aizawa poked his head in. "Just thought I'd let you know, a massive group of Kira supporters have gathered in a park near the massacre site. They're talking about WIK like he's some sort of prophet apparently. Thought you'd want to know."

Huffing a short laugh, Yuya said, "Speak of the devil..."

Well, this could prove to be interesting.

 **~}(3){~**

The car ride to the park had been spent by Ren telling them the rest of what L said – though there was admittedly little they could use since he hadn't said much to begin with. For the most part, her two teammates remained silent, both wearing stony expressions. Apparently, it had upset them more than she was expecting that she withheld the information about L. She sort of understood their feelings, but it did surprise her that it was more of an issue than her own behavior the previous day.

How angry would they be to learn that she was also talking to WIK? That would cause more concern than L certainly.

Since they had opted to all ride in Koji's car, it wasn't difficult to find a parking space within walking distance of the park, and they made good time on the road considering the traffic.

Slamming the car door shut behind her, Ren glanced around until she spotted the crowd of people gathered around the stone fountain in the far corner of the park. From such great distance, it was impossible to get an accurate read on the exact number of them, but there were a lot of people. Enough that the main speaker was concealed within the mass at any rate. Surely, they weren't all Kira supporters? She had known that the murderer had a sizable following, but she didn't think there were this many. So surely, some others had come out just to watch the spectacle.

Yuya nudged her side them, snapping her out of her reverie, and with a gesture of her hand, they followed her towards the group of people. The closer they drew, the more the sounds became less of an indistinct droning, and they were able to discern a few phrases. When they finally reached the crowd, Koji suggested that they hang around the fringes and see what was being said, and Ren agreed with a curt nod.

The leader of this Kira rally was standing on the edge of the fountain so he could be seen by most of the crowd. The man was balding with a short, well-trimmed mustache and wore glasses along with khaki pants and a white button down shirt. With no microphone or any other kind of sound equipment, he was straining to speak louder than the din of the crowd.

"Do you know what this means?" he bellowed, eyes blazing. "Kira is coming back to finish his work. He sends WIK in his stead as a test to us all. If we show our god that we are willing to serve his hand, then he will return to redeem us all," the man announced, and he continued to spit out much of the same nonsense before someone spoke out against him.

"How can you say that WIK is doing his will?" a stern voice demanded. A woman with short dark hair, wearing a skirt and jacket stepped forward, eyes cold. It surprised Ren to see such a well known face their as Takada. The woman had been a popular news anchor several years prior until she was demoted to field reporter after allegations of her being a bit too sympathetic towards Kira, causing a stir of negative feedback against the station. However, her presence here seemed to give credence to them after all.

Now that she had garnered the crowd's attention, the gorgeous woman continued, "Kira never supported the killing of innocents. He would never have approved of the block massacre."

The original speaker made a few sputtering attempts to refute that, but more people shouted their agreement with Takada. In return, others spoke up for the original speaker's side until tempers blazed and the racket all blended into one monotonous sound.

Before the group's fighting became physical, a third party stepped forward. An attractive, well-dressed man with long black hair and deep green eyes behind simple square-framed glasses stepped on to the fountain edge and shouted, "Enough!" Though it took a moment, the commanding tone of his voice managed to catch the crowd's attention.

"For those of you denying that Kira would ever murder an innocent, you forget yourselves. Several died in his pursuit of an ideal world." A murmur of upset rippled through the crowd, and for a moment, Ren wondered if they had an actual voice of reason among them. "Don't misunderstand me. I, for one, do not even consider them victims of Kira because all Kira truly wanted was to get rid of criminals, and the only ones who died were those that wanted to prevent that from happening."

Ren shifted uncomfortably. She didn't like where this was going.

"It's the police who stopped Kira from fixing this bitter, corrupt world. Any innocents' deaths are on their heads!" So much for reason ... The crowd began making noises of approval.

Yuya leaned in and whispered, "Should we break this up now?"

Biting her lip, Ren thought on it, but ultimately decided against it. "That'll just add merit to their words if we step in right now. It might look like we're trying to cover something up."

The man with long hair began to get into his speech. "In that same way, WIK's hand was forced by the cops obstructing his goal. It's their fault those innocent people died. They're the criminals! WIK is continuing Kira's work and disposing of those criminals – those bullies. And if they _are_ our protectors, where were they when all those innocent people died? Shouldn't they have been there? No, WIK revealed to us just where their true devotion lies. They did everything they could to stop Kira from killing murderers, yet not a single officers was there to lend aid to those that died."

"I say again: _they_ are the criminals. _They_ are the ones that our god would have protected us from." Turning his head to look at various people in the crowd, he closed, "So whether you believe WIK was sent by Kira or not, we can all unite under the knowledge that Kira's work is being done if nothing else."

The crowd was silent, and Ren was speechless. They weren't ... They didn't actually believe that crap did they? Admittedly, the long haired man possessed a measure of charisma that stemmed from his confidence in himself. However, saying the police were criminals was insane. The police were there to protect and serve the people, but he made it sound like they were only trying to preserve a corrupt way of living.

Someone in the crowd started clapping, and within moments, the rest followed, the sound deafening. Eyes wide with disbelief, she shared an unnerved look with Koji and Yuya, both of whom wore similar expressions.

That speech seemed to signal the end of this rally, and the people slowly began filtering out of the park. However, Ren suggested they stick around. She wanted to speak to the long haired man before she left. His words set her on edge, and she wanted his name so they could look into his back ground. Obviously, he was anti-police and pro-WIK and Kira. That, in and of itself, was enough to cast suspicion on him. But they needed more before they could question him properly.

Waiting until the man was unoccupied by people, Ren wandered over to him, Yuya and Koji not far behind. When they drew closer, he glanced up and swept an assessing gaze over them. Though he crossed his arms, his features remained impassive.

"Nice speech," Ren began casually, attempting to keep the note of steel from entering her voice. This man was not on her good side, but she didn't' want to scare him off. "You really know how to get a crowd going."

This man was a good six to eight inches taller than her, and he used the added height to look down his nose at her. Nodding swiftly in acknowledgment of her words, he answered, "They need a common enemy – the right enemy. However, I'm sure not everyone agreed with my sentiments, Officer Gushike."

So he recognized her. Suppressing a sigh, she supposed she should've expected this since he likely followed WIK on the news. It would've been a lot simpler if he didn't know who she was, but nothing could be done about it now. A change of tactics was in order.

Offering him her hand to shake, Ren nodded at him. "It's nice to meet you, Mr..." She let the question hang.

"Teru Mikami," he answered, grasping her hand. "I'm afraid I don't recognize your associates so easily." He looked over her shoulder.

Stepping back, Ren gestured to Koji and Yuya. "These are Officers Ogawa and Tsukino." The two both gave a perfunctory greeting.

"Well, you already know my opinions about WIK, Kira, the case in general. What is it you want?"

Yuya shrugged. "We were in the area and managed to catch your speech. That was impressive by the way." He laughed humorlessly. "Though I admit, it's a little awkward since you united them against us."

"Quite," Mikami said, his mouth quirking into a frown. "Still, I won't retract my words if that's your aim."

"We're not here to do that," Yuya placated, holding a hand up.

"That's not something we _can_ do anyways," Koji added, a frown on his own face.

Mikami's mouth tightened into a line. "Hm, I wouldn't put it past you to try. I know what those given a little power are capable of."

"The same could be said of Kira, hm?" Yuya tossed out, crossing his arms.

Raising both hands in surrender before he could take any offense to that, Ren kept her tone calm. "Relax, Mr. Mikami. My partners meant what they said. All we wanted was to talk to you for a moment."

"You mean investigate me."

Ren nodded. "We would be remiss not to at least not look into it. If you're innocent, you should have nothing to worry about."

"Once more, I wouldn't put it past you to implicate me regardless. However, a word of warning, take care in your accusations. I too am a part of your criminal justice structure," he told her, voice calm and words deliberate. "It would not look good on the department."

Ren couldn't hide her surprise at the admission. Then Yuya snapped his fingers. "I knew I recognized your name. You're a prosecutor, a damn good one too."

Nodding, Mikami adjusted his glasses. "Yes, I am."

"Then why are you so against the department?" Koji asked, his brow furrowing.

Mikami glanced at them warily. "I wasn't always ... Until I realized what they'd become." Before they could ask him any more question, he checked his watch and said, "I'm afraid I must leave if I'm to make my next meeting ... unless you plan on detaining me?"

"No, you're free to do as you please, Mr. Mikami," Ren answered. With a nod of his head, the long haired prosecutor made his way toward the parking lot.

Watching him go, Ren spoke to Koji and Yuya. "That one merits looking into."

"No kidding," Yuya agreed. "He's a big batch of crazy, but he knows what he's doing too."

"Mrs. Takada and the other leader of the rally deserve our suspicion as well, I believe," Koji said.

Ren nodded, turning to face them. "Well, we should get to work on that. Back to the station?"

Glancing at his watch, Yuya protested, "We ought to grab something to eat first. I get the feeling this is going to be a long day."

Shrugging, Ren agreed, "If you want, I didn't bring anything today anyways."

As they began to head back to the car, Yuya clapped his hands together and slapped Ren on the shoulder encouragingly. "That's the spirit! I know this great noodle shop we should try."

Ren smiled and nodded, even gave a small laugh, but she wasn't really paying attention at that point. No, her mind was on Mikami and WIK and L and even Kira. Part of her wondered what would've happened if she _had_ stayed on the Kira case. Would it have made it easier for her to understand WIK? And what was it about Kira that had drawn people to him? All those people at the rally were so dedicated to a mass murderer. Why?

Yes, Kira had been a genius, charismatic, and had hid behind the guise of being a savior, but he was also conniving, manipulative, and an egomaniac. What was his appeal?

She needed to look more into Kira.

 **~}(){~**


	13. Memory

**Chapter XII: Memory**

" _The Bird of Hermes is my name, eating my wings to make me tame." Alex L.C._

 **~}(1){~**

Aizawa slouched back into his chair, body sagging with exhaustion. The past two weeks had been a nightmare. Due to Gushike's press conference, reporters had been hell to deal with in the wake of the Block Massacre. The whole city was in a frenzy of terror and demand, and Kira supporters had become more active than they'd been in the past five years with everything WIK had stirred up. Nearly half a dozen times in the past week alone, he'd sent Ren's team to either observe them or break it up if they got out of hand. Her reports on what was being said at those gatherings didn't bode well in the least, and Aizawa worried that they might do something more drastic than talk if given half an opportunity.

On the press' side of matters, Aizawa had been doing his best at damage control. The block murders had been horrific... The Chief hadn't seen such needless destruction caused by a single individual since Kira, and he had hoped to never see it again. Several times during the week, Aizawa had called press conferences to deal with the fear of the public as well as attempt to salvage Ren's reputation, which was less than shining at the moment.

They needed a face to put their anger towards, and well, she'd made herself an easy target.

He knew her intentions had been good, and really, he supposed that no one could've predicted just how big of an impact such a thing would've had. However, Aizawa couldn't deny he was upset and more than a little frustrated with the outcome of her decision. At least he didn't feel like he needed to rub her nose in it. She knew exactly how badly she had messed up. Matsuda had told him about her behavior at the scene of the block murders and the next day at dinner, and in the days that followed, she'd been a husk of her normal self, haggard and weighted down by her guilt.

In all honesty, Aizawa was just tired in general. Tired of the press. Tired of WIK's ability to evade capture. Tired of a world that allowed people like WIK and Kira to exist.

It had been a long day and a longer week, and all he really wanted was to get back to Eriko and the kids. But he still had work that needed doing because more cases kept coming in as the criminals grew emboldened in light of WIK's ability to outsmart them. God he was getting too old to put up with that shit.

Not that he would ever admit it to Matsuda.

At that moment, someone knocked on his office door. Confused as to who it might be and hoping nothing else bad had happened, the Chief called for them to come in. The door swung open, and surprise flashed across his face at the sight of Ren. She nodded at him in greeting before making her way to the seat across from him.

"Are you alright?" he asked, glancing over her. "You don't look so good."

And she didn't. She looked about as exhausted as he felt. With deep black bags under them, her eyes looked dull in the fluorescent light of his office, and her skin was taking on a sickly pallor.

"I haven't been sleeping great," she admitted, rubbing a hand over her eyes in an attempt to clear them up some.

"Is this because of the case?"

Ren shrugged. "Probably. I don't know." Sighing at the look he was giving her, she continued. "It's fine. _I'm_ fine. I'm coping, and it won't affect my job performance. At any rate, that's not why I'm here."

"Has something else happened?" he asked, steepling his fingers in front of him and leaning forward to rest his elbows on the desk. In truth, that was the only reason he could come up with as to why she would come. They weren't exactly close enough that she would just drop by regularly to chat, and it had been quite some time since they had spoken beyond a simple greeting. So the only reason she could be there was to discuss the case.

Rubbing at the back of her neck, she answered, "Not exactly. More like, I need some information... It's about..." She trailed off, pressing her face into her hands, frustrated. "I'm not sure how to ask this. I don't- It's personal, I know."

A little wary now, Aizawa arched an eyebrow at her. He didn't like where this conversation was heading. "What is it?" he urged against his better judgment.

Hesitating, she stared at him for a moment in silence, her lips pressed into a thin line. "I need you to tell me about Kira."

Silence stretched between them as Aizawa forced his features to remain neutral. Admittedly, this came as a surprise. Aizawa hadn't spoken of Kira to anyone outside of Matsuda and Eriko in a very long time. Hell, Aizawa tried to avoid thinking about Kira if he could. That was one of the reasons that the Surgeon Cases weighed on him as much as they did. They dredged up memories better left forgotten.

When he remembered she was waiting for an answer, he countered, "Just for the case? Or is this about L?"

"I'm hoping it'll give me some insight into WIK." She folded her arms over her chest, eyes glazed over in thought. "I've tried looking into it on my own, but I'm not really getting anywhere with it." Her eyes met his, and he saw confusion there. "At all those Kira supporter gatherings, they're all so devoted, and WIK could be among them. I need to know what it was about Light Yagami that drew people to him. I only saw him once or twice back then, and he just seemed like a normal kid. He wasn't that much younger than me even..."

Aizawa leaned back in his chair, uneasy as he thought on her words. Truthfully, her reasons for wanting to know seemed solid, and it might've actually been important to her investigation. However, that failed to quell his reluctance to talk about the subject. He knew he needed to, and it was in the past dammit. They all needed to stop treating it like some big secret.

With that thought, he clamped down on his reluctance and heaved a sigh. "First and foremost, the reason you're not getting anywhere with this is because you're dealing with the supporter's views on the subject, am I right?" She nodded. "That's because they've blown him up into something he tried desperately to be, but never was... A god.

"They always emphasize that he was killing criminals, and then justify the intent behind the deaths of the innocents. And not one of them realizes that he would've turned on them too if he even _thought_ it might help him win."

Rising to his feet, Aizawa turned to stare out the window at the light grey sky. "That's why they adore him now. But even back then Kira was able to draw people to him. He was bright, kind, attractive, and acted like he had a strong sense of justice. Hell, maybe in his own twisted way, he did." He frowned at the bitter taste the words left in his mouth. That would never be justice. "His father was a police chief, and he'd had no criminal record." He turned back to face her. "But you knew all that already..

"It had always been easy for him to make friends. He .. he would make you think he cared about you, about the things you believed in. And he was determined. If he had a goal in mind, nothing could stop him ... None of us ever expected he could ... That he was.."

"No one, but L," Ren finished, a frown tugging at her features. "He _was_ just a normal kid to you guys too.

Aizawa nodded. "Maybe a little too smart for his own good, but yes, L did," he agreed. "From the very beginning, L told us that he was Kira ... But it was just too unthinkable for us. And anytime we could pin something suspicious on him, something else would come up to prove his innocence..." Shaking his head, he let out a sharp laugh. "Are you sure I'm the right person to ask all this? I quit the task force, you know."

She raised her eyebrows at that. "What? But I thought you were there when they caught him."

"I was. I'd come back by then, but I missed quite a bit of time in the middle..." His eyes darkened as he wondered if anything would've changed if he'd had the guts to stick with Ryuzaki the whole time. It could've meant nothing. It could've meant that he lost a lot less friends to that damned case. "But back to Kira. He became our friend, all of us. It was just the type of person he was – pretended to be," he corrected himself. "Ryuzaki always said Kira was his best friend, his only friend. Poor bastard."

A measure of sorrow and sympathy played at her features then for some reason, and it made Aizawa wonder just what L had become if that look was for him. Who knew, maybe it was for Aizawa, Matsuda, the task force, all of it.

"Then L and Watari died," he continued, anticipating the shock that came next.

"What?"

"Kira managed to convince a Shinigami to kill L and Watari by using Misa Amane... The Shinigami managed to kill Watari, but Ryuzaki survived, not that any of us really knew that. We had a funereal and everything for them."

"I'm sorry," she offered, sounding unsure. Perhaps he should've been offended that she was treating him like a wounded animal,but at the moment, he just didn't care.

"Yeah, well, it was a long time ago." Aizawa shrugged, wanting to just get the rest of it out of the way too. "Kira acted like he was upset for about a week before he kind of assumed a leadership position." He shook his head. They had been so stupid to just let that happen. "We practically forced it on him even though L warned us that could happen.. We should've-" He sighed. "Should've"s were worth nohting. "... At some point, L contacted Chief Yagami and carried out his investigation in secret. We had a few close calls, but they managed to find enough evidence to convict him."

His voice went dead as he continued speaking... The ending had always been the worst of it all. "He finally showed his true colors when we went to arrest him, killed a lot of good officers before Matsuda could shoot his hand... Even murdered his dad, the police chief... Again though, that's all in the records. I assume you've read those at least?" She nodded. Of course she had. Probably before this case ever came to light. Most of the officers had. The faces of Ukita and Mogi and Soichiro and all the rest flashed through his mind. Some days he could still see them walking through the halls of the precinct. Some days he expected it. It never happened though.

Silence reigned again for a few minutes. Weighted down by the memories, Aizawa dropped back into his seat with a thud and a sigh. If talking about it was supposed to have made him feel better, it sure as hell didn't. Forget paperwork, after dredging up all that, he was just going home. He'd done enough for the day. Or that's what he'd tell himself later when he felt guilty about leaving early.

"I'm not sure what to say after that," she admitted, running a hand through her hair.

"If I were you, I'd talk to Matsuda about it. He was closer to him, and ... Well, I doubt he'd talk about it from what you told me, but you might ask L too. It's worth a shot at any rate."

Nodding, she pushed herself to her feet. "I will, thanks, and ... Thank you for telling me about Kira. I'm sure that's difficult to talk about."

"It is," he agreed, leaning forward to prop his chin up on his hand. "It's always been one of my personal failures.. Leaving like I did, ignoring the signs that _he_ was Kira." He grunted, giving a bitter smile. "It's almost funny how you talk about your opinion's of L."

She canted her head to the side. "Matsuda mentioned you two weren't always friendly."

"That's one way of putting it. For the most part, I didn't understand what he was trying to do, and that pissed me off a great deal. He just seemed cold." Ukita's face flashed through his mind once more, and a pang of regret hit him. "One time, when one of the task force got murdered by Second Kira, I tried to run out there, to help him... But L told me not to, that I would just be killing myself.

"At first, I thought he didn't care about any of us.. But I realized later he was just better at concealing how much it affected him. I know he considered each death a failure on his part. Some more than others." Aizawa heaved a sigh. "I guess my point is he cares more than he lets on.. Or he used to anyway, and people like that aren't easy to deal with. But, I imagine if he was willing to talk to you about this, he cares to some extent, and yeah, he comes off as a jackass. But that's nothing new."

Scratching the back of his head, he continued, "Back on track though, all that _is_ difficult to talk about because it was real. Because it happened and wasn't just some nightmare, but it's also in the past, which is where it needs to stay and why you need to stop WIK from bringing him back."

"I will. I'll stop him – no matter what it takes," she told him. To him, her voice sounded far more cryptic than was comfortable, and something about it settled uneasily in the pit of his stomach. However, he didn't mention it, just nodding instead.

As she turned to make her way out of the office, he called out, "And try to get some sleep, Gushike."

She shot a forced smile at him over her shoulder, continuing to head towards the door. "Try is the key word there." And with that, she was gone.

Sitting there for a moment to simply enjoy the quiet of his office, Aizawa leaned back and ran a hand over his face. Any energy he might've had left had been sapped, and he knew that even if he could convince himself to stay any later, nothing else would get done that night.

As much as he wondered about what would've happened if he stayed to work on the Kira Case, he realized that the way everything had worked out was the best outcome they probably could've hoped for. Still, the idea was a bitter one even if it was true. So many had died at the hands of Kira, and yet, he knew so many more could've died if the Shinigami had managed to kill L. The task force would've allowed themselves to be steered away from L's original investigation plan, and without that evidence, would they have ever been able to uncover Kira's identity?

 **~}(2){~**

Ren had stopped for dinner at Atsuo and his wife's diner and managed to get sucked into a two hour conversation with the couple while they closed and for a while after that. Admitted, it had been far too long since she had come in to visit with them. Especially considering how often she used to eat there before starting the Surgeon Cases. She had excused herself because she had been focusing on the investigation, which she told them, but apologized nevertheless for her extended absence. Afterwards, she'd left with the promise of visiting more often and another well-wishing as Sachi was well into her pregnancy by then.

As soon as she made it back to her apartment, Ren headed to bed, determined to catch up on her sleep since she had the next day off. However, this was met with little success. For the past two weeks, she had only managed two to three hours of sleep before the nightmares would awaken her. They were never the same, and at first, she hadn't even been able to remember them. But they were slowly becoming more vivid, images of bodies, blood, and death replaying in her head. If they didn't let up soon, she would need to see about taking something for sleeping – though she hoped that wouldn't be necessary.

The next morning and afternoon had progressed without incident. Not only had she found time to visit the shooting range, clearing her mind and brushing up on the skill, but she had also managed to catch Matsuda on his break and convince him to tell her more about Kira.

In truth, he said much of the same thing as Aizawa about the famed mass murderer. However, it was much easier to read the bitterness in his voice than it had been in Aizawa's. Obviously, Matsuda had considered Kira his friend and supported his innocence on multiple occasions. He filled in the time gap of where Aizawa had quit, told about what Kira was like while he'd relinquished ownership of the Death Note. The person he'd described seemed ... nice. And that unsettled her.

Finally, he explained in more detail what had happened when they arrested Kira. Even though there had been no chance for Light Yagami to escape at that point, he had written eight different officers names before Matsuda was able to shoot his hand. The last victim had even been his own father, the previous Chief Yagami.

Although it hadn't given her much more insight into Kira, it had helped her to understand Matsuda more. She finally realized why, even though they were close to the same age, he always seemed so much more mature of a person than her. The Kira Case had been bad from beginning to end. Everyone knew that much. However, only those involved knew just how bad it had been. Aizawa and Matsuda and even L – from what she'd been told of his previous personality – were proof enough that they all had been scarred by the incident.

And between Matsuda and Aizawa's words, Ren realized that by looking into Kira she had learned more about L also... Perhaps that was presumptuous. She wasn't sure, and she certainly didn't claim to _know_ him. Still, she thought his vague, standoffish, even rude behavior made more sense in light of everything that had happened – especially after what Aizawa in particular had mentioned about his relationship with Kira.

At the end of their meeting, she had thanked Matsuda for sharing like she had the Chief and headed home for the day, which brought her to the present. With a relieved sigh, Ren pushed through the door of her apartment

Tossing her jacket on to the couch, Ren grabbed an apple from the kitchen before booting up her computer. Over the past couple of weeks, she hadn't heard from WIK anymore. The day after their first conversation, she'd checked the chat room, only to find out the website had been disbanded. However, she kept returning each day with the hopes that she hadn't lost this means of communication.

Really, she didn't even understand why he had backed out. Perhaps he realized that this was too much of a risk. Maybe he thought Ren had told someone else about it. Hell, he could've just forgot about it to be honest... But Ren didn't think so.

Unfortunately, when she visited the site, it was still down, and so, she opened a new window and checked her email.

Wait a second... That was...

Much like the first time he had sent her an email, the message was blank aside from the link. She knew at once it was him. Biting her lip, she set aside her half eaten apple and followed the link, which brought her to another blank chat room.

 _ **Good evening, Ren.**_

The message popped up as soon as the page loaded.

 _I'm guessing this is WIK, right?_

 _ **You're correct in your assumption.**_

 _I've been waiting to hear from you all week. What happened to the old website?_

 _ **Ah, I'm flattered you're as eagerly awaiting our talks as I am... But yes, the old website is gone. Much like this one will be after today I'm afraid.**_

Ren frowned. Was this another measure to cover his tracks? It had to be right? There was no other reason to do so. Again, Ren didn't know very much about computers, but it had to require a bit of effort to create and destroy websites. Perhaps she should've been studying up on computers instead of Kira... Maybe she should've just asked L. Or she could just ask WIK himself.

 _Doesn't that take a lot of work? Making and deleting websites, I mean._

 _ **You ask a lot of questions ... This is starting to feel like less of a chat and more of an interrogation.**_

 _You can't say you weren't expecting this. You're supposed to be smart, aren't you? Also, don't forget that you were the one who said I could use this to profile you._

Cringing as she hit the send button, Ren hoped she wouldn't offend him enough that he would call off the conversations entirely, but she couldn't just _talk_ to him and get nothing in return. It wasn't worth it, and hell, that the killer seemed so interested in her was probably the source of her nightmares in all honesty.

He finally replied.

 _ **You obviously couldn't see, but I was laughing there. Are you anxious, Ren? You must be ... However, I suppose you have a point. I believe I**_ **did** ** _say something along those lines last time. With that in mind, I extend another proposition to you._**

 _What is it?_

 _ **I'll let you ask one question, and I'll give you an answer, a full one too. You can ask anything you want save the obvious 'Who' and 'Where' questions.**_

 _But?_

 _ **But. That's always the case with these deals, isn't it? Yes, but.**_ **But,** ** _you must give me the conversation_ I _desire first – and I do expect honesty. Surely that's not too much to ask of you,_ Ren _._**

Ren bit her lip. Was it too much to ask? Conversations. Like they were two friends. It sounded wrong to put it like that. An image of L flickered through her mind. They'd told her Kira had been his friend, and look at how he ended up. Was that the consequences of that kind of decision? But she needed to solve this case ... Could she afford to pass it up?

Shaking her head, Ren came to a realization. She was being selfish. WIK was contacting _her_ , offering _her_ information they desperately needed, and _she_ was thinking of declining just because he wanted to talk to her civilly? She was being idiotic and selfish. Matsuda, or Aizawa, or L, or even Yuya or Koji wouldn't hesitate to make that decision. They would take this and use this, self-sacrifice be damned. They probably didn't even think of it like that... The choice was obvious.

 _I guess I'll take you up on that offer too. What did you want to talk about?_

The best part of typing was that it was easier to sound more confident than she felt.

 _ **Hm.. I suppose we should start with the niceties, don't you agree? So, how are you, Ms. Ren?**_

 _To be honest, I'm a little tired. You've been keeping me on my toes here lately... Well, the Kira supporters have anyways._

 _ **I see. I do hope you'll get some rest on your day off.**_

Swallowing thickly, Ren suppressed a shudder. She didn't like that at all.

 _How the hell did you know it's my day off?_

 _ **I believe I said one question**_ **after** ** _our conversation... But I suppose I did invite that one. As I thought you knew, I've been keeping up with you, Ren._**

 _ **And, I'd really like to know more about you as a person.. From your own mouth, rather than what I can gather on my own.**_

Warning bells were screaming in her mind. Even though the conversation was online and she could log off at any moment, Ren didn't feel in control of this situation at all. They had been watching her. _WIK_ had been _watching_ _her._ And she didn't even realize it. Trying to remember if she had seen anyone acting suspicious over the past couple of days, Ren felt the paranoia welling up within her, and suddenly, every background noise seemed much more intrusive. Hoping to ease the feeling somewhat, Ren peeked out the window at the empty parking lot. Nothing. She was fine and needed to carry on.

With a deep breath to soothe her nerves, Ren stomped down on her tripedition and continued.

 _What do you want to know?_

 _ **Tell me about why you decided to become a detective.**_

 _That's simple enough. I want justice. I'm not great with bedside manner, so detective seemed like the logical choice._

There was no answer for a few minutes.

 _ **... No, no, no. Ren. You can't convince me that's all there is to it. Your reasoning isn't so boring, is it?**_

 _What do you want from me? That's the truth._

 _ **I know you better than that, Ren. That's the very same answer I expect a child would give when asked why he wants to become a detective when he grows up. Perhaps you haven't thought through the answer yourself? Let's see.. What were the circumstances when you realized you wanted to become one?**_

Ren felt her temper flare to life. What was wrong with her answer? It was another way of saying she wanted to help people, and as far as she knew, that was a perfectly sound reason for choosing her career. So what if it was boring?

 _My older sister is a Pathologist. She always worked for the department, and I liked hearing about her work._

 _ **So you admired your sister. Why did you not become a pathologist like her then?**_

Frowning, Ren had to think about it ... Pathology had never been a job she considered, despite her admiration for Sumi. Detective was always her aim ... But why exactly? Surely it wasn't just the childish wanting of the title. It went deeper than that. She knew it did. However, explaining why was harder than she thought it should've been.

 _It never really felt like the right choice ... I wanted detective from the very beginning._

 _ **That sounds like you. I wonder, what did your parents think about your aspirations?**_

 _Mom was ... upset, angry even, but my dad was always all for the idea. He encouraged me towards it._

 _ **It's always nice to have someone on your side. I admit, I'm surprised he wasn't overprotective of his youngest daughter.**_

 _I'm not the youngest ... And even if I was, Dad wasn't like that. He had a stern set of morals, and becoming a detective fell right along with them._

 _ **A middle daughter then ... Did your parents fight a lot? You said they had opposing opinions.**_

Ren hesitated. These were very forward questions. WIK really was treating her like an old friend, and she hated it. Was it wise to tell him so much about herself? Did it even matter? In all honesty, she didn't think he could use it against her any more than he could have already. It wasn't as though the information was terribly private, and considering how skilled he was with computers, it wouldn't be too hard for him to just snuff out the information on her family.

 _Yes, they did. Never in front of us though. Like they thought we couldn't hear if they just shut the door. The worst was when I signed up for the Police Academy right before I moved out._

 _ **Did being the subject of their fights upset you?**_

Narrowing her eyes, Ren pressed her lips into a thin line. What was he after?

 _I suppose.. Not as much as my sisters though... It's difficult to explain. I knew they weren't going to get a divorce over something like that, but it's not like I wanted them to fight. I didn't want to disappoint Mom either, but becoming an officer was something I knew I had to do._

WIK took a few minutes to answer once again, and Ren began to regret sharing so much of herself with a psychopath. In hind sight, that seemed like a terrible idea ... She could've at least lied, but part of her felt like he would see right through that. She had to do this right? Sighing through her nose, Ren rubbed at her eyes. Her mind was going in circles, letting her fall into a cycle of resignation, determination, and regret. If he went back on his word and didn't give her what she thought was an honest answer to her question... Would _she_ call it off?

L's words returned to her. See what WIK didn't want her to see. She would have to examine their conversation later, however, because he finally responded.

 _ **Would you like to know why you wanted to become a detective, Ren?**_

 _Have at it._

 _ **You were desperate to become your own person. You weren't the oldest daughter or the youngest. You weren't the rebel or the golden child. You were completely average.**_

 _ **You admire your older sister, but you couldn't follow in her exact footprints. They were**_ **so** ** _deep, weren't they? And you were afraid that your own footsteps would disappear within them. You crave attention, respect,_ perfection _, but it's so hard to get any of those ..._**

 _ **That's why you didn't mind your parents fighting as much as your sisters. Not because becoming a detective was something you had to do, but because they were finally talking about**_ **you** ** _for once. Your father admired your choice. Your mother detested it. However, in both cases_ you _were the subject._**

 _ **So you see, Ren, it's not some need for justice that brought you here, but your own need for attention.**_

A muscle in Ren's jaw ticked, her hands balling up into fists. How dare he presume to know her from a few simple comments. That... That wasn't true... _'So desperate to become the detective your parents disapproved of,'_ L's voice replayed unbidden in her mind. It ... It sort of matched what WIK was saying. But, that couldn't be true. That wasn't who she was. Ren wasn't a child crying for attention.

Yes, she wanted respect, craved perfection. Was that not normal? Shaking her head, Ren stopped that train of thought. WIK was wrong. In part – at the very least. She _did_ care about justice. If a criminal walked free, it burned her. Surely, that was proof enough? Or was that just anger over a failure? No, this was not the time to worry about that. WIK was just messing with her head. Would she really have devoted ten years of her life to a plea for attention?

Either way, she was done for now, and she pushed the thoughts from her mind.

 _I think we've talked enough. I want my question._

 _ **Oh? Very well, I suppose you have humored me quite nicely ... Ask away.**_

Ren paused. This was her chance at progress, and after all that, she would be damned if she didn't make the most of it. However, the problem was deciding what to ask. There were too many questions that needed answers. But then it clicked. She had been asking everyone else about Kira...

 _Are you actually killing all these people for the sake of Kira's revenge, or justice, or whatever you want to call it?_

 _ **Well, well. That is an interesting question. I imagine it certainly appears that way to the filth of this city. So much so, that they've named me for it, and not one of them has questioned if it actually is my motivation ...**_

 _ **How to answer ... In a way, you could say it**_ **is** ** _for Kira. At the same time, it's not for some foolish notion of revenge or justice for him. This is something for myself. However, I do hope he's pleased by the spectacle I'm presenting._**

Ren blinked. That ... wasn't what she had been expecting. If this wasn't motivated by revenge, then why was he doing this? What was the point? Was he lying? He had asked for honesty from her, but never said it would be returned. And yet, it didn't feel like a lie, and it was just vague enough to be true. It was dangerous to take it as truth though.

 _Then what is your motivation for doing all this?_

 _ **Ah, ah, ah, Ms. Ren. I believe our deal was one question.**_

 _Yes, one question with a full answer._

 _ **Indeed. And I gave you one. You asked if I was only killing for Kira, and I said no.**_

 _This is starting to seem a little less fair than before. I answered plenty of your questions._

 _ **That was of your own volition. The deal was for one question. Anything beyond that you gave up on your own. Now, I do believe I've taken up enough of your day off, and I'm truly sorry if my words about your own motivation caused offense. I hope you know I only want to help you understand your own ignorance.**_

It took a lot of willpower to bite back the words on the tip of her tongue. However, she wasn't about to let him know how much the insight into her life had bothered her.

 _It's not a problem. When should I expect another email?_

 _ **Soon. I should hope. Unfortunately, I've been quite busy as well lately – keeping you on your toes as you said. See you around, Ren.**_

Ren took the jab about him stalking her in stride this time, and emboldened by her anger, she felt daring enough to reply.

 _I'll keep an eye out for you. Be sure to let me know if you're in the area... Oh, and Ryuzaki said 'hi' back just so you know._

 _ **... Oh you**_ **are** ** _interesting after all ..._**

She wanted to ask him to elaborate on that, but he had already gone offline.

Ren fell back in her chair, feeling simultaneously relieved and nauseated. She felt sick thinking about everything he had said to her, but it was over. And she couldn't feel thankful enough for that. She needed to think, to sort through it all. Look for what WIK hadn't wanted her to know.

However, her heart and thoughts were racing, and more than anything else, she was sure of one thing. She didn't want to be alone that night. So with that in mind, she gathered up her keys, a set of clothes, her police ID, and her gun before heading to Sumi's for the night. She didn't bother with phoning first.

As the door to her apartment shut, the message 'SIGNAL FAILURE. NO DATA' flashed on to Ren's monitor. And the website was gone.

 **~}(** _To Be Continued_ **){~**


	14. Misunderstanding

**Chapter XIII: Misunderstanding**

 _"The worst distance between two people is a misunderstanding." - Neetesh Dixit_

 **~}(1){~**

Idly picking at the corner of his thumbnail, Yuya skimmed the manila folder on his desk one last time. He had already read it through enough to be more than prepared, but the older detective knew from experience that it didn't hurt to make sure of that fact. While Ren focused her effort on gathering any new information she could scrounge up about WIK and the Kira supporters, she had left Yuya and Koji in charge of interrogating a few particularly suspicious supporters, who had agreed to come in for questioning. So far, nothing had really panned out from the three they had spoken to in the past couple of day in between other tasks that had been put on the task force. However, Yuya had always been the hopeful sort, and he got the feeling that the next round of people would turn up something.

The next suspect's name was Aitiroto Shutsu. He was a TV network tech guy and worked freelance. In other words, he kept odd hours, and generally performed his work in solitude. Along with that, he was unmarried, his family lived in another region, and all in all, Mr. Shutsu kept to himself. Not to mention, he had been the instigator and leader of several supporter rallies including the first one the task force had attended.

So yeah, Yuya thought it was a pretty promising lead all things considered.

The dark haired man ran a hand through his hair at the thought, huffing out a sigh. If he were being honest, Yuya was growing frustrated by the case as a whole. It felt a lot like they were grasping at straws, and he knew that Koji and Ren were thinking the same as him. But what else could they do? They were all working their asses off trying to make do with what they had. But that wasn't much, and it wasn't enough. They didn't even have the beginnings of an accurate profile on WIK. They didn't know height, weight, hair or eye color, hell even gender. It drove him up the wall that they weren't making any headway on this... But then, Yuya had never had much of a head for patience.

He wasn't like Koji. He wasn't content with 'getting there eventually.' When Yuya wanted something, he wanted it then. Lately, he'd been doing his best to keep his frustrations to himself because he knew it weighed on Ren that this wasn't working very well too, and the kid had enough on her plate as it was without him grumbling about stuff they couldn't change.

Shutting the file with a dull snap, Yuya rose to his feet and grabbed his coffee mug before making his way towards Interrogation Room #4. Koji stood just outside the viewing room, eyes flat and mouth pulled into a bored line. Clearly, he wasn't happy with the way the questionings were going – but then again, when was he ever? Knowing him, that guy thought it was just a waste of time... Maybe it was, maybe it wasn't. Either way, it wasn't like they had all these other avenues to explore.

From the very first time they met as a task force, Yuya had known he didn't care for Koji Ogawa. Admitted, the guy made for a great detective. He was observant as all hell, and he seemed to have some useful connections both inside and outside the department – most of which had been bled dry by now on the case. However, he wasn't so great at being a person. He was arrogant, snooty, pretentious, and more often than not, one of the worst pessimists he'd ever seen – under the guise of realism of course. Maybe one day, if the guy ever got his head unstuck from his ass, they could be friends, or get along better at the very least. But in the meantime, Yuya was learning to tolerate his lackluster attitude.

Especially since Koji hardly seemed inclined to offer _him_ any sort of olive branch...

Yuya let out a quiet, sharp laugh. Koji didn't want to be friends anyways, and that sat just fine with Yuya. He'd _live_ at any rate. Honestly, it wasn't even the first time he'd needed to work on a team with someone he was on _less-than-friendly_ terms with.

"What was that about?" Koji asked, referring to his expression as he quirked an uninterested eyebrow.

Shaking his head, Yuya just smirked at him. "Nothing to concern your pretty little mind about."

"If you insist." He sounded far from amused. However, he chose to focus on getting their work done – always business – shifting from one foot to the other. Briefly, he shot a glance at the door. "Are you ready to continue?"

"Yeah, I've gone over these files up,down, and sideways. Not that there was much to go over. Has this guy done anything substantial in his life?"

"Wouldn't that make him a good candidate for being our killer? It makes sense that WIK wouldn't want to stand out." Koji tilted his head to the side.

"I don't think people are born thinking, 'You know, when I grow up, I'm going to be a serial killer,'" Yuya pointed out, a bit of a smile tugging at one corner of his mouth. "He's done more or less nothing for his whole life up until recently with the Kira rallies – which technically aren't even crimes.

Koji shrugged. "Maybe. But keep in mind, this killer is meticulous. It's quite possible they've been planning this for a very long time." He paused for a moment to let that sink in. "At least, that's what I have to believe considering how thorough his MO is. Beyond that, we know he's been planning this over the last decade at a minimum. Mr. Shutsu is only in his mid-thirties despite his rather... _unfortunate_ early balding."

Considering his point, Yuya tilted his head back and forth. He wasn't one to ignore a good point even if he didn't care for the person making that point. "I guess that makes sense..." He gestured to the door to interrogation.

"At any rate, I highly doubt Mr. Shutsu is our killer... He simply doesn't strike me as the type who would be so meticulous on any subject... Assuming he isn't simply a rather skilled actor," Koji admitted with a cool shrug.

"How long has he been in there?"

"Not too long in the interrogation room itself.. Perhaps five minutes in all? Though some other officers have mentioned he's been at the station since before we even arrived." Rolling his eyes, the younger detective crossed his arms and added, "Not that he hasn't complained enough about it for me to know that on my own."

"Heh, I thought he was perfectly willing to do this?" Yuya straightened the file in his hands without really looking at it.

"Oh, _that_ is not the issue," Koji explained, sounding unimpressed. "It's not that he's worried about the interrogation itself. Rather, he feels we are wasting his _very_ precious time." He sniffed, turning his nose up. "I imagine the time he's spent here has been put to better use than anything he's done in the past ten years."

Yuya laughed at that. Maybe Koji wasn't so bad when he wasn't being a jackass _to him_. "That bad, huh?"

Koji nodded. "You've seen him before, haven't you? It's a wonder that he gets so many people on his side."

"You're telling me. Then again, these people can't be all that smart considering they think a mass murderer is god."

Thinking on this, Koji pushed his glasses back into place. "One of them must be if we're to believe WIK is among them."

"Yuya scratched the back of his head, furrowing his eyebrows. "Eh, maybe ... Really though, I think there's a difference between intelligence and deviousness."

"Perhaps," Koji conceded, though he still looked doubtful. After a moment of silence, he shook his head. "I see what you mean. Regardless, we should begin the interrogation as soon as possible. I'm tired of listening to Mr. Shutsu's drivel."

"Agreed." Nodding, Yuya waited for Koji to head into the viewing room before heading for the door Mr. Shutsu was behind. Perhaps his thoughts about Koji earlier had been a little harsh... Not that he was ready to take them back entirely. The guy still had his head up his backside, but maybe it wasn't wedged as far up there as Yuya had originally thought. Who knew? With time he might even be able to get it out entirely. Shrugging the thoughts off, Yuya pasted on the mask he reserved for interrogating suspects and knew only time would tell if he was right about his partner or not.

 **~}(2){~**

Ren was not a morning person. She never had been – she never would be. However, she could fake it if she had to. If you slapped on a smile and spoke as little as possible, it was easier to hide, and most people wouldn't question it unless they really cared and knew you.

On this particular morning, Ren found it difficult to muster enough enthusiasm to fake it.

Another body had been found. A woman, named Nagisa Miturou, had been found with two puncture marks in the lungs, no sign of a struggle. Obviously, this was WIK's work, which Ren knew would be confirmed when they tracked her identity down within the old files. Miturou, only thirty six, had dark brown curled hair, and coal black eyes. Disturbingly enough, it seemed as though WIK himself had deigned to cut her hair himself as the locks had been haphazardly chopped away and tossed aside. The comparison wasn't lost on Ren. Miturou was on the shorter side by about an inch and had a set of birds tattooed on her shoulder surrounded by flowers to signify sisterhood, which WIK and thoughtfully circled for her using some sort of knife. And to top it all off, the body was found only two blocks away from the police station.

 _This_ was why Ren found herself standing in a dank back alley at 5:45 A.M., and when a morning began like this, Ren couldn't force herself to be cheerful. It felt disrespectful to the person who had lost their life, and frankly the detective didn't feel cheerful in the least. It didn't help that she still couldn't catch a decent night's rest.

"Shit," Yuya said – more or less – exactly what she was thinking as he scrubbed a hand over his scraggly face. Like her, he too was looking rather unkempt, boasting a dark layer of stubble on his chin.

Every time a body turned up, that was another person they'd failed to save, but more than that, another person had senselessly lost their life. That was a bitter pill to swallow, and Ren was sick of taking her medicine. She was growing tired of these games WIK was playing. If they could only get a clue as to who it was ... Staring down at the lifeless Nagisa Miturou, Ren's face darkened, knowing that this particular murder was a message directly to her. It didn't take a genius to notice the similarities between her and Miturou, both in appearance and apparently background. She was revolted by the knowledge that Miturou would definitely be alive right now if WIK hadn't taken such a shine to her. More and more, she was thinking jail was too good for someone like WIK. She'd take care of WIK herself if need be. Did someone who could murder all of these people really deserve a trial? They sure hadn't given their victims one.

The thought startled Ren, and she shook her head to clear it. Thinking like that was creeping into dangerous territory, and she didn't need to flirt with that line. Thoughts like that sat far from the principles she stood for as an officer of the law, and it both confused and worried her that it had crossed her mind at all. This time she would blame it on her bad mood as it was likely a one-off occurrence, and seeing another victim probably had something to do with it as well.

When she snapped out of her reverie, Koji was staring at her expectantly. He was crouched next to the body with a small white card held between two gloved fingers while Yuya searched the alley for any other scraps of evidence. "I'm sorry, what did you say?"

Rising, he turned to her, "I _said_ , you need to see the latest message from our killer."

Koji pressed the card into her hand, and she flipped it open. Inside, it was a simple white, the same as the outside. However, there was a difference in this one from the very first WIK had left for them. The words were written in a neat flowing script. Written, not typed.

The message itself, though, made a shudder shoot down Ren's spine:

" **Ren, I was just '** _ **in the area**_ **' and thought I'd let you know. Let's catch up again soon. - WIK"**

It took a lot of willpower to refrain from crumpling up the note right then and there. How dare he treat this so flippantly? He had just ended a woman's life to prove a point? Though Koji was likely confused as to what it meant, Ren understood exactly what the killer was doing, referencing their chats. However, she still didn't understand. Why? Why had WIK singled her out of all people? Why had he chosen to reveal knowledge of their talks when he told _her_ not to?

"What the hell does he want from me?" she growled, gritting her teeth and pressing her eyes shut.

When she reopened her eyes, Koji was staring at her with an odd expression on his face, like he wasn't quite sure who he was looking at anymore. "Ren... This note is directed at you personally." Okay, maybe not so confused... Ren's shoulders stiffened at the accusation in his tone. Perhaps she had given her teammates too little credit, considering they were detectives of their own merit too. Catching on that something important had happened, Yuya headed over to them as Koji continued, "Beyond that, it seems to reference a personal connection."

"What's going on?" Yuya asked, sensing the intensity choking the atmosphere around Ren and Koji.

However, the two ignored the question. "Ren, does this note mean what it seems to suggest?"

Meeting the challenge in his eyes, Ren raised her chin a fraction of an inch and narrowed her eyes. She had done nothing wrong, and he was already looking at her like she was a criminal. "That depends on what you think it suggests."

"I think WIK's implying you've been in contact."

Raising his hands, Yuya frowned deeply. "Woah, let's just hold on here a second-"

"I'm not working with WIK if that's what you're getting at," Ren defended, crossing her arms. How could he even think she would do something like that after everything WIK had done? Hadn't she shown how devoted she was to solving this case?

"But you didn't deny you've been talking to them," Koji pointed out.

"Alright, enough!" Yuya broke in, taking a step in between her and Koji. He scowled at both of them. "What the hell is going on here? What sparked all of this?"

Perhaps a tad reluctant as she was tired of getting yelled at, Ren handed the slip of paper to Yuya. Throwing her hands up in exasperation and walking a few steps away. When he had read it, Yuya reached up and pinched the bridge of his nose. Under his breath, he muttered, "Well, this is just great." Then straightening, he turned to Ren, an unreadable expression crossing his face. "Ren, is what Koji is saying true?"

What was WIK doing? He had told her he would cut off contact if she told anyone, and then he went and did it himself. Surely, someone as intelligent as WIK would've realized that her team would've been able to figure it out. So why did he do it? Finally, with a sigh, Ren hung her head and turned back to them. "Yeah, I've talked to them. But only by email, not in person or anything. You have to know I would never do that at least."

"I knew it. I-"

"Not now, Koji," Yuya cut him off with a sharp motion of his arm. Then he took a step forward, so he was all but towering over her. Was he really trying to intimidate her? That idea sparked her own temper back, and she puffed up her chest, meeting his eyes and letting him know she wouldn't be cowed by his _interrogation techniques_. Damn right she knew what they were. She'd been working with him for months now. "You better have a damn good reason for withholding this from us," he warned. Glancing up at the reporters, who were snapping pictures of the three from the end of the alley, he stepped back. "And you _will_ tell us this. But not here."

Sighing through her nose, Ren nodded, deflating a little since he was backing off too. "We can discuss this back at my apartment. I've kept transcripts of the conversations for reference," she offered.

"Let's go then," Yuya told her, voice void of the warmth she'd come to expect from him as he headed for his car.

"What about the crime scene?"

Koji answered her, "I think we've found everything we're going to find here. The other officers here will finish up, according to procedure, just as well without us." The dark haired man looked down his nose at her. "I think this new development with yourself is far more promising, Ms. Gushike."

She pursed her lips. "I... It's Ren."

"Not at the moment, it isn't," he told her coldly before following after Yuya.

Pressing her face into her hands, Ren forced herself to calm down. Why were they treating her so coldly? She got that they were furious she hadn't told them about WIK, but they were acting like she was helping him. Truthfully, Ren hadn't done anything wrong in her mind. Sure, Koji and Yuya kind of got the short end of the stick, but it wasn't like she had made this decision alone. Hell, she had been following the advice of the world's greatest detective. How could that possibly be the wrong choice? Besides that, she would've told them everything after she gathered enough useful information.

After she explained it all to them, surely they would understand why she had done it. They were smart ... Wouldn't they have done the same thing, given the opportunity as she had been? In all the months she had known him, she had never seen Yuya act so coldly to anyone – not even Koji when they were arguing ... And Koji had reverted to impersonal address with her. Well, this was all fine and dandy.

Ren really hated mornings.

 **~}(3){~**

The drive to Ren's apartment had been done in terse silence. Yuya wasn't ready to talk to her again. Koji shot suspicious glances at her every so often, and Ren herself simply didn't want to worsen matters further by trying to justify her actions just yet... Or perhaps she was just trying to avoid the upcoming conversation. In all honesty, she didn't really know or care. Regardless, the ride was a short one, and soon enough, Ren found herself leading them down the hallway to her apartment

With a jingling of keys, the dark-haired woman unlocked her apartment and stepped inside, throwing her satchel and other items to the side before removing her shoes. Since she didn't have a kitchen table, she brought them to her living room. "Sit wherever you want. I don't exactly have a particular spot.." It had been so long since anyone had visited her here... In fact, Ren couldn't remember the last time she'd had visitors. It threw her out of her depth. She'd never been very good at minding her manners growing up anyways, and now, she was struggling to remember the proper way to host people. "I'll go put on some tea?" she offered uncertainly, biting her lip and raising an eyebrow.

Koji shot her a scathing look, no doubt about to bite her head off with some acerbic comment, before Yuya spoke up, "Coffee if you have it." His voice was indifferent, but Ren thought it wasn't as cold as it had been back at the crime scene.

Nodding absently, she moved over to her cabinets and reached in automatically, her hands closing around a small packet before she caught herself. God, this was why she didn't host. She was terrible at it. Scratching the back of her head, Ren turned back to him and held it up. "I have the herbal stuff I always drink, but I haven't kept regular coffee since my university days..."

"Tea it is," Yuya replied with a huff of laughter – though it hardly sounded amused – stiffly taking a seat on her couch. "I get the feeling that this might take a while."

Koji simply snorted haughtily at the statement though he wasn't looking at either of them, taking the time to instead study her apartment.

Suppressing a wince, Ren nodded and returned the herbal coffee back to its container, her back to them now as she let her expression fall. As she cleaned out her tea pot and set it to steeping, she attempted to get her thoughts together in a logical order. It was proving difficult for some reason. Since they had found out from the killer and were already forming negative opinions about her actions, it was harder to defend them. The thought crossed her mind of if she should tell them everything. Pinching the bridge of her nose, she leaned onto her elbows on one of the counter tops. Of course, she should tell them everything now that they knew. Why wouldn't she? It was really too early for this ...

So, Ren would just tell them the truth then. Explain the whys and hows. Then she could let them read the transcripts she had kept in her journal ... After that, well, that depended on them.

She couldn't let herself feel guilty about this. She'd made the right call this time; she was sure of it... Only, she wished it hadn't ended up like this. Ren would've told them.. Just, she needed time.

Interrupting her planning, the teapot whistled, and Ren prepared two cups of tea. After handing them to Yuya and Koji, she leaned against the wall across from them by the TV. The only open spot was in between them on the couch. Ren doubted they wanted her to sit there, and frankly, she didn't want to at the moment. It would make their interrogation feel awkward.

"Alright, talk." Yuya's eyes bored into her.

"Yuya's given you plenty of time to think through your side of the story," Koji added, crossing his arms.

Swallowing, Ren glanced between the two of them, noting the harsh look on Koji's face and the carefully blank one on Yuya's. "Will you even believe what I tell you?"

"That depends on what you tell us, doesn't it?" Koji tossed her words from earlier back at her, his voice bitter. For the first time, Ren was starting to understand why Yuya argued with Koji all the time... It wasn't fun to be on the detective's bad side, and his pride was starting to grate on her nerves. Why should he think he was so much better than her?

A muscle in Ren's jaw clenched. "Fine. From the beginning then." Sighing, she thought back on it. "I got an email one day, about ... I don't know the exact date off the top of my head. A while ago at any rate.

"It brought me to this blank chat room, and a few minutes later, a message appeared. Long story short, it turned out to be WIK. Or the most elaborate prank I've ever scene ... Though I guess that message at the crime scene proves it," she thought aloud, a frown pulling at the corners of her mouth. Even though she had already been pretty certain it _was_ WIK, today had officially confirmed it, and that settled strangely in the bottom of her gut. Perhaps some part of her _had_ been hoping it was somehow a fake.

Glancing up to meet their eyes, she let them see the sincerity there. "You have to realize, he told me he would cut off contact if I told anyone at all, and you know how promising a lead like this is for us right now."

Yuya's fist clenched in his lap, but his face remained calm, emotionless. "How could the killer have known if you kept it between the three of us?"

Dubious, Ren's frown deepened. "Clearly, he's been keeping tabs on me.. I didn't want to risk it." Even to her, the reasoning sounded flimsy.. In truth, that idea hadn't occurred to her. She'd only thought of telling L, and he hadn't told her to tell her team. But they were right. If it was just the two of them that knew, there was no way WIK could know. Just because she told them didn't mean she had to document it. Why hadn't she thought of that? It was rather obvious when Yuya pointed it out, and it was something she normally _did_ notice. What was going on with her lately? Did the killer really rattle her that badly? She shook her head. "You don't understand. This system of his is outrageously complicated and, in all honest, is borderline genius," Ren explained, crossing her arms over her chest. "It wouldn't surprise me at all if WIK had a way of finding out something like that."

Shaking his head incredulously, Koji asked, "Do you even understand what you're implying? You're saying WIK has ways of knowing the inner-workings of the police head quarters." He looked at her like she was an idiot. "If that's the case, then you had even _more_ reason to tell us immediately. The integrity of the department is far more important than any lead."

With a wince, Ren realized that perhaps it sounded worse then it actually was. However, she said anyways, "People are dying out there. By the dozens when he sent his first message. That's right.. The first one came right after the block massacre. I remember now."

"That's not the point. The point is tha-" Koji began before Ren interrupted.

"It's not like I just did this by myself, you know?" she informed him, a hostile edge to her voice. She didn't enjoy his treating her like a child. She got that enough from L. "I talked to Ryuzaki about this. I asked _him_ if this was something I should pursue, and he agreed that I didn't need to pass it up."

"It always comes back to him, doesn't it? That's another thing, you know," Koji pointed a finger at her. "You kept your meetings with _the great L_ secret as well. How many secrets are you keeping from us? We're supposed to be a team."

Eyes bulging as she struggled to retain her cool, Ren inhaled and exhaled heavily through her nose. "It's not like I _asked_ for these things to happen. WIK sought me out because L did first. Or at least, that's _my_ theory on the subject."

"You're telling me that you don't think the two might be connected?" Koji questioned, and Ren rolled her eyes at the absurd thought. L might be an asshole, but he was no serial killer. "The two just _happen_ to show up around the same time? You said it yourself, the system WIK is using to contact you is genius... Who better to set it up than a genius detective?"

"Trust me. Ryuzaki isn't the one emailing me."

"How can you be sure?"

Exasperated, Ren threw her hands up. "Because L doesn't give a shit about my personal life! He knows it all already anyways!"

"Did you learn anything useful," Yuya redirected the conversation. He had hope in his eyes. Even below the anger present there, she could just make it out. He wanted to have faith in her, to believe she'd done it for the right reasons. That she hadn't just been being stupid and letting a murderer get in her head or possibly into the department. _That_ was the kind of person Yuya Tsukino was, and she wished she could live up to him.

The reply she had been preparing died on her tongue. "I – Well, sort of."

"What do you mean, 'sort of?'" His tone held nothing but patience.

She averted her eyes. "We worked out a system in our last conversation."

"How many of these have you had?" Koji demanded.

"Only two so far. I swear."

"What kind of system," Yuya asked, his voice even, regardless of the fact that he was likely just as furious as Koji. This was one of the reasons why Yuya made such a great interrogator. He could stay focused on asking important questions despite his own feelings about the suspect ... Ren - in this case - and she could honestly say she hated being the subject of his questioning even if she did admire his ability.

"In exchange for answering his questions about me personally- Not ones about the department; I'm not a complete idiot," she added, raising a hand to quell the reprimand on Koji's tongue. "In return, I get to ask one of my own."

"What kind of personal questions are we talking about? You have to know how dangerous it is to give out personal information to someone like that," Koji told her instead, and for the first time since she had told him about this, she could actually hear some emotion besides anger in his voice. And it was worry. Despite her earlier resolution, she felt a stab of guilt eat at her... She hadn't meant to worry anyone. Why would they be concerned for her after all? She was a coworker... But then, they were her team too.

"Last time, we talked about my parents ... My reason for becoming a detective. Stuff like that." Looking at her feet, Ren let out a sigh. "Look, I know how dangerous this is, but even L once told me in so many words that justice is all that matters. I don't care if WIK knows about my personal life if it means catching him sooner."

"I see ..." Yuya trailed off for a moment, deep in thought. Although his expression remained unreadable, Ren hoped she had made him understand how serious she was about this investigation, and that she knew what she had gotten herself into – that she was doing this for the right reasons. "What about those transcripts you mentioned?"

Ren nodded, pushing herself off the wall. "Yeah, I've kept records of our conversations. They're not verbatim since I've written them from memory, but they're close," she told them. "I'll go get them."

Striding into her bedroom, the detective pulled her journal out of its normal spot. As she ran her fingers across the leather, Ren felt a key of reluctance play at her. She was about to give Yuya and Koji access to her most private thoughts. Along with the transcripts, she had written notes within the margins, her fears, her opinions, other thoughts, all of it. Huffing a sigh, she realized that might be a good thing. Ren had never been good with speaking. Maybe the written version would better showcase her reasoning.

When she returned to the other room, Yuya and Koji ceased their hushed conversation, and she frowned at them. "Don't stop on my account."

"The transcripts?" Koji deflected with a flick of his hand.

Pursing her lips, Ren flipped through the journal, trying to find the right pages ... However, she reached the end of the entries, and managed to miss them. Eyebrows furrowing, Ren sat down between Koji and Yuya. This time, she flipped through the pages slower than before. Still nothing.

"You've got to be kidding me," she mumbled, going through it a third time.

"What's wrong?" Yuya asked, leaning over to see her journal.

"I don't understand," she told him, an edge of panic in her voice. "I know I wrote everything down ... I've read through it several times myself ..."

Pausing on a particular page, Ren pointed to the date on the top right corner of the page. "There. This is the right day." Her fingers trailed down the page. "See, WIK contacted me today ... And it's got the other parts of my entry, but the transcripts themselves are missing."

Staring down at the parts she was pointing to, Yuya asked, "Are you sure you wrote them in there? Maybe you put it on some scratch paper, kept it there, and it just fell out."

Ren shook her head, running a hand through her hair. "No, it was written _on this page._ Where the hell did it go?"

"You're saying you _don't_ have your one saving grace in all this?" Koji scoffed. "How very convenient for you. How can we even be certain that-"

Yuya cleared his throat pointedly, directing a glare at Koji. It was then that the younger detective realized that he was perhaps being too harsh given her seeming confusion. With a sigh, he adopted a different approach.

"Ren..." Koji began, carefully placing a hand on her arm. "I know you've been very stressed lately, and sometimes, when a person is very stressed, they don't remember things correctly. Are you _certain_ you wrote the transcripts?"

Jerking her arm away, Ren rose to her feet. "I didn't forget," she shrilled, feeling a strange sort of panic well up in her. "I'm not _crazy_. I know I wrote them."

With a sigh, Yuya also stood. "Either way, the point stands that you don't have them, correct?"

Ren looked down, suddenly finding her feet interesting. "I guess not."

Nodding to himself, Yuya moved to place his now empty cup in her sink. "Then you'll just have to tell us yourself."

Determination sparked in her eyes. This was her chance. Though she still didn't understand what had happened to her transcripts, she could still tell them herself if nothing else. Hopefully, that would be enough for them. "I can do that. I haven't forgotten them ... Honestly, I don't think I could if I tried," she admitted. "Despite what you may think of me, this wasn't a decision I made lightly."

"Start from the first message then," Yuya instructed her.

Koji pulled out a pen and notepad, prepared to make an actual transcript since she had apparently failed to do so. It still didn't make any sense to Ren. She _knew_ she had written all of it down. It would've been negligent for her to do otherwise. However, nothing else was missing from the journal, no pages had been torn out, and more importantly, no one had broken into her apartment to tear them out.

That left the question: what had happened to her entries?

 **~}(){~**

 _ **A/N: Hey guys! Bet you're surprised to see me around. Sorry I've been away for so long. I had to take a break for a while from writing. At any rate, I hope you're still enjoying this story, and for those of you who are reading my Jojo's story 'The State of Dreaming' I'm hoping to get an update for that out sometime in the next week.**_

 _ **Thanks everyone for all the support. It is very much appreciated!**_

 _ **\- Alyssa**_


	15. Reclaiming

**Chapter XIV: Reclaiming**

" _I used to rule the world._

 _Seas would rise when I gave the word._

 _Now in the morning I sleep alone,_

 _Sweep the streets I used to own."_

 _\- Viva la Vida by Coldplay_

 **~}(1){~**

 _One Week Previous_

 _L glowered at the wall of upside down pictures. Well, the pictures weren't actually upside down, depending on your viewpoint he supposed. The genius detective lay sprawled on a plush, brown and tan, striped armchair, his feet hanging over the back of it and his index fingers and thumbs forming a frame around the wall of pictures._

 _The photos were of his suspects for this case. Among them were a select group of Kira supporters – namely Teru Mikami and Kiyomi Takada - Ren Gushike, Yuya Tsukino, Koji Ogawa,and the remaining officers from the time of the Kira Case – including Touta Matsuda and Shuichi Aizawa – as well as the majority of the new police force. Beside the photographs, L had written little notes on the walls, information that made them suspect along with anything that cast their guilt into doubt as well. Certain individuals had more notes written beside their photos than others, but he hadn't been able to convince himself to actually remove any of the suspects from his mind. It was beginning to frustrate him... Or perhaps that was boredom settling in once again. Regardless, L tired of the standstill the case had come to, and he wished to remedy it._

'Normally, I have a gut feeling to accompany my observations.." _He heaved a deep breath, watching as it stirred a particularly stubborn piece of hair, that had clung to his face, pushing it out of his eyes._ 'Why do they all feel guilty to me?'

 _Expression even, L flipped himself over. No one could call L stupid. He knew that in order to solve this case, he needed to eliminate suspects, but it was as he thought earlier. They were all potentially guilty._

 _How annoying._

 _Perhaps they were working together? No. That was foolish. It would be impossible for a group of people to maintain a secret and continue to work with such precision and thoroughness with the murders. He'd seen countless try and fail over the years. Even groups of two or three found difficulties in such a task. No, the style and feel of these crimes told him this was the work of only one person..._

 _With a bored sigh, L rose from his seat and walked over to the built in kitchen of his hotel room. It also annoyed him that even with a case like this where it was not so open and shut, he was having difficulties mustering the proper amount of enthusiasm. Had the Kira Case ruined even that? Opening one of the near empty cabinets, he pulled out a box of chocolate gram crackers and lifted one of them between his finger and thumb, staring at the sweet snack._

 _Soon, he would change hotels again. He had already set up the reservations for it and sent ahead instructions for what foods needed to be stocked in it for his arrival._

 _At that moment, the computer dinged, signifying that he had received an email. Lazily, he padded over to the computer and set the box of gram crackers down on the desk before clambering up on the chair and settling in his usual position. Roger had sent the message. Odd. L had not received a message from him in a long time now. Perhaps he had noticed the inordinately large amount of funds being drawn from the account Watari had helped set up for L. The heading was: **Do you still use this email?**_

 _ **Ryuzaki, are you in Japan? I know you've heard about the string of murders there and their connection to the Kira Case. If I still know you at all, you're going to investigate them. In that case, I wish to ask if you are alright and to offer my services if you want them. I can make arrangements for someone else to keep an eye on the orphanage if I'm needed for an extended amount of time.**_

 _ **Answer when you're able,**_

 _ **Roger**_

 _Biting off a piece of cracker, L stared at the message. Roger still worried about L far too much. That hadn't changed. Likely, he thought that the killer's apparent connection to the Kira Case would pose a problem for L. However, that was a non-issue. Over the years, L had perfected his ability to distance himself from people and cases. This one would prove no different in the end. Of that, L was certain._

 _For a moment, he considered simply closing the email and ignoring it entirely, but he knew from experience that Roger would likely keep sending emails – across all of his accounts – and it would be a great annoyance to have to sort through all of those. No. Better to try and dissuade his worries now before they were blown further out of proportion._

 _With that in mind, L sent back:_

 _ **Roger, I thank you for the offer, but it isn't necessary. I am alright – as I have always been. The orphanage would be a better use of your time.**_

 _ **Ryuzaki.**_

 _There. Perhaps that would satisfy him for the time being._

 _Chewing another cracker thoughtfully, L's mind returned to the Surgeon Cases. At the rate matters were progressing, L wasn't going to narrow his list down through his normal means. Time for a change of pace then. Though L preferred to avoid going out into the city himself anymore, it was the only way to accomplish his goal. He didn't trust Ren Gushike to give him the proper information, so he needed to do it himself._

 _L wanted to visit some of the previous crime scenes. Even if the crimes themselves had taken place some time ago, he decided it would give him a better feel for WIK. Besides, his observational skill far exceeded that of the police, and he could find what they missed._

 _Who knew? Perhaps the fresh air would help. It had been a long time since he'd spent any length of time outside after all._

 **~}(2){~**

Rain tapped against the sides and roof of Yuya's car as he sped down the busy streets of the city. During their conversation with Ren, the drizzle had started, and by the time they had finished up at her apartment, it had progressed to a full out downpour. Ren had opted to stay at her apartment with a flimsy excuse that she needed to check in with L, and they had let her be in order to regain herself. However, Koji sat in the passenger seat, pouring over the conversations between their task force leader and the serial killer they were after.

In all honesty, Yuya was only just starting to come out of his state of shock at the morning's turn of events. Yeah, it was hurtful to find out she had been hiding something like that from her team, but more than that, it made him angry. This information would've helped him out quite a lot when he was conducting the supporters' interrogations. He would've known exactly what sort of responses he was actually looking for and would've directed the interviews as such.. Now, he could only rewatch the tapes they'd made and hope to gain some insight from the limited responses. He supposed he _could_ call them back in for a second interview, but he doubted many of them would be as obliging as they had the first time. What a waste.

Frustrated, the detective lifted a hand and slammed it against the side of the steering wheel. Normally, the way Koji jumped would've made him laugh or at the very least crack a smile, but the morning had left him in an understandably bitter mood.

After a moment of silence, Koji settled back into his seat, putting the newly made transcripts in his briefcase before glancing over at Yuya. "Are you alright?"

Yuya rolled his eyes, not returning Koji's gaze. "Just dandy."

"It has been an … enlightening morning to be certain."

"If by enlightening, you mean 'shitty.' Then yeah, it's been an outstandingly enlightening morning."

The streets were thick with the traffic, made slower by the storm, and Yuya was in no mood to wait it out at the moment. Therefore, pulling off to the side of the road, he threw the gauge into park mode. "Are you hungry?" he asked, ignoring the strange look on Koji's face. "Let's discuss all this over breakfast. I could use some _actual_ coffee." Although Yuya enjoyed tea as much as anyone else, it just wasn't the same as a good cup of coffee, and no way in hell was he gonna drink that herbal shit Ren did. Sometimes, it astounded him that the company that sold it could stay in business with how awful it tasted. Then again, it could be assumed that Ren was more or less funding them with how much she drank it... But those weren't important thoughts, and he didn't want to think of the inconsequential things he had learned about Ren from working with her. He didn't wanna think about her at all to be honest. Not at the moment.

Without waiting for Koji's response, Yuya stepped out of the car and began making his way up the street since he had passed a breakfast place not too long ago. A moment later, Koji caught up to him, falling into step beside him. Shooting side glances at him, his teammate said, "I admit, from the way you acted in her apartment, I didn't realize how much this had upset you."

Yuya gave him an incredulous look. "You're kidding, right? Of course I'm upset. Who wouldn't be right now?" A frown pulled at his mouth. "However, there were things we needed to know, and we needed to know _exactly_ what had happened, preferably without prejudice," Yuya explained. At that moment, he caught sight of the coffee shop, and his pace quickened. "Now though, I can be as pissed off about it all as I want."

"Then you've conducted yourself well so far," Koji told him, nodding in approval. "I, for one, couldn't manage the same … Just the thought that she kept this from us ..."

"First L, now this. It's almost like she doesn't even trust us."

"That was my thought as well," Koji agreed as they arrived at the coffee shop. He waited until they had been seated and ordered coffee before continuing. "Did you notice anything strange about her when we talked to her? Aside from the obvious 'missing transcripts' of course." He placed air quotes around the words. "... Actually, now that I think about it, something has been off for the past several weeks as well."

Leaning forward onto his elbows, Yuya raised an eyebrow. "How so?"

Koji tilted his head in thought. "Whenever she talks, her thoughts seem scattered. More often than not, she has trouble saying what she actually means."

"It's not her strong suit," Yuya agreed, "but that's always been the case. What, do you think there's more to it?"

Shaking his head in his indecision, the other detective answered, "I'm not certain, but it's been getting worse than it was. I've noticed at times she even spaces out for a few moments before she comes to herself."

"It could just be her way of thinking."

"Perhaps, perhaps not."

Just then, a waitress came back with their coffee, and Yuya ordered fried ginger pork with miso while Koji stuck with egg, nato rice. Yuya refrained from shaking his head in disappointment at that. That wasn't breakfast... But it was a very Koji thing to do. Shaking those thoughts off for the time being and pouring a packet of sugar into his coffee, Yuya shrugged. "Say you are right about all this. Say Ren isn't acting like she normally does. What do you think is wrong?" He took a drink of his coffee, and the bittersweet liquid warmed his throat.

Shaking his head again, Koji pressed his lips into a thin line. "I'm not entirely sure. Though she denied it vehemently, my theory is that she's just not able to handle this case anymore." He tapped a finger against his temple. "That lapse in her memory is worrisome."

Yuya hesitated at the outright statement but then nodded, sipping his coffee, feeling the caffeine begin to take effect. Koji continued, "Who's to say we can even trust the accuracy of her memories about the conversation she had with WIK. Though she's _certain_ she told us everything correctly, keep in mind that she was also _certain_ she had written the transcripts in the first place."

"I see what you mean," Yuya said. That was a good point, and the detective agreed with Koji wholeheartedly that Ren's apparent lapse in memory was – as he had put it – worrisome. Perhaps it wouldn't have bothered him so much if Ren had just admitted she had forgotten to write them because everyone forgot things at some point, especially if they were stressed. However, Ren had been adamant that she _had_ written them on a page that clearly displayed otherwise. She was refusing to even consider any other possibilities, and she had even gone so far as to say she'd read them herself. Did she really believe she had written them? She sounded sincere, and the panic in her eyes when she discovered their 'disappearance' was genuine. Besides that, what reason would she have to lie about something like that? Unless...

"At least, I want to believe her memory is faulty," Koji said, anxiety playing at his features. "Though that disappoints me to say. However, if it _isn't_ her memory..." Seeming to realize what he was saying, the dark-haired man trailed off and took a drink of his own coffee, staring at Yuya pointedly.

Yuya's own eyes narrowed. "What are you getting at?"

Glancing around to make sure no one was listening in on them, he leaned forward. "If it isn't her memory, then it means she _did_ write them and has something to hide."

Doubt tugged at him. Surely she wouldn't go that far with something like this. They had discovered she had been conversing with WIK, and she didn't deny it. In fact, he'd picked up on her guilt over it all.. That mean she was done playing around, right? Then again, Ren had already shown she was willing to hide information from them, whether it might be valuable to the case or not. "What would she have to hide at this point?"

Their conversation stalled as the waitress brought out their food and refilled their coffee before she left with a wink directed at Yuya. Neither of them moved to eat their meals as Koji asked, "Don't you find it odd that both L and WIK contacted her within the same week?"

"You think she made it up?"

Koji spread his hands, palms up. "I think it's possible. Do we have any evidence beyond her word that either of these events actually occurred?"

Frown deepening, Yuya picked up his chop sticks and stared at them unseeingly. "No … she's the one who told us about it. And L refused to meet with _us_ , which she even admitted that he didn't really have a good reason for..."

"Combine that with a self-destroying website … I know a bit about computers, but I've never come across something like that before. I'm not saying it's impossible, but if it is, _I've_ never seen it," Koji told him, breaking his own set of chopsticks and plucking a piece of melon off his plate. "The only evidence we have is that she told us it happened, and after she had _hid_ both of these facts, can we really trust her anymore?"

"But if it is on purpose, why would she make all of this up? You don't actually think she's working with WIK or something, do you?"

Hesitating, Koji set his chopsticks down. "That's ridiculous, but.. I don't know. We don't necessarily have any evidence to support either way. I hope not. Right now, I hope more than anything that I'm reading too far into this..." He trailed off for a moment before shaking his head. "Despite what you may believe, I've always been fond of Ren...Regardless, she's shown that she doesn't trust us. Perhaps we shouldn't trust her so much either."

Though he wasn't so hungry anymore, Yuya picked at his food, not really tasting it as he was lost in his own thoughts. He didn't know what to think about all of this, or maybe he really just didn't want to. In the past few months, he felt like he had really gotten to know her as a person, and so far, she had been alright in his book if a little too closed off at times. Yuya hated the situation he had been thrown into, and he didn't want to believe the worst. However, Koji had a point. Not only was Ren dabbling in shady affairs now, but she also acted like she didn't trust them with the knowledge of it. Conflict rose up in the detective.

"Perhaps we should mention this to Chief Aizawa," Koji suggested.

Shaking his head, Yuya said, "Not yet. If we're not careful, this could be career destroying. We need to be certain before we do _anything_... I'm not saying we shouldn't eventually though. If it's like you think, it would be best if she steps down..." He frowned at his own words. Just saying it had left an unpleasant taste in his mouth. Before Koji could speak again, Yuya held up a hand to stop him. "That's only if you're right though."

"You're saying we should investigate her?" Surprise flashed across his face for a moment before his expression shifted to contemplation. Nodding, he continued, "Yes, I believe that's a better course of action. Where do you want to start with this?"

Thinking on it, Yuya took a moment to decide. Part of him still rebelled against the idea of investigating a fellow officer, but at the moment, this was the best way to go about it all. It wasn't like they could just _let_ Ren continue on like she had been. Forgetting the problems it might cause _them_ in the future, it might end up permanently damaging her mental state. Additionally, suspicion and upset had already taken root in the task force, and if nothing changed, it would only get worse. Investigating her seemed like the best way to either assuage or confirm their suspicions. The problem was how far to go with it. Yuya didn't want to dig deeper than they had to with it since that was a major breach of privacy.

Finally, he answered, "Her sister should be able to tell us enough. The two are close, and she would have noticed if Ren's been acting differently lately."

"That's a good idea," Koji began, "but what if she tells Re—Ms. Gushike?"

Yuya shrugged. "Nothing to be done about it if she does, and if I know her, she will no matter what we say if she thinks it could hurt Ren in some way... She might believe us if we just tell her we're only looking into Ren's welfare – which isn't even a lie."

"That could work. Besides, Ms. Gushike doesn't have much of a basis to tell us we didn't have the right to look into her considering everything she's hidden from us. So even if she did find out, it won't make much of a difference."

"Let's just hope that doesn't become an issue," Yuya suggested. "Even if we have the right, it would only make her trust us less." He finished off his second cup of coffee and flagged down their waitress.

"Another issue is the last thing we need," he added under his breath.

 **~}(3){~**

A week had passed since L decided that he needed to visit WIK's crime scenes. He had started from the beginning and worked forward from there, tracing the killer's footsteps as it was. However, nothing in particular stood out at any of the early ones. Perhaps too much time had passed to consider those viable representations of his work. Perhaps WIK was simply that thorough. After all, he had been less lax early on. Such precision almost made L question if supernatural means were involved after all. The percentage was low for that to be the case though. Too much effort had been put into the murders – especially the early ones when WIK had been concealing the victims' identities. No. If a Death Note was involved, L imagined the case would've taken a different path... There was still a chance though.

L knew better than to disregard a theory based on low odds.

Despite a lack of insight from the previous crime scenes, L deduced that the one he was visiting today yielded the most promise out of all the others. He was going to the house of Zunori Morino. That was where WIK first broke away from his MO. Instead of employing his usual caution, he had utilized an entirely different – more chaotic – approach.

Not to mention, Morino wasn't left in some random alley like the others. He had been murdered in his living room, early in the morning.

Also, Morino lived on a fairly well-trafficked street, L thought, ignoring the odd looks the other pedestrians shot him as he passed. Their reaction to seeing him was nothing new, and L had dealt with it all week in his expeditions.

However, it was odd being out in the city again, to see so many people with his own eyes. To be seen by so many people. He didn't care for it. L felt too exposed, like someone would somehow recognize him. However, his mind held the knowledge that this was impossible. The eyes following him had less to do with that, and more to do with the sight of a pale, thin man in baggy clothes with dark-ringed eyes, walking down the street, apparently ignorant of the rain that soaked into his clothes. He continually reminded himself that it had always been like this when he went outside. The nagging feelings were simply a product of his own paranoia.

At that moment, the disposable cell phone in his pocket buzzed. Hm? What did Ren Gushike need? She was the only one with knowledge of that number.

Flipping it open, he said, "Yes? What is it?"

" _I think we have a problem."_

"Hm?" he prompted, running his thumb across his lower lip, only half-listening as he busied himself with looking at his surroundings. They had very different definitions of a what a problem was, so the detective wasn't too worried at the moment.

" _In WIK's latest message he referenced our talks, and now Yuya and Koji don't trust me."_

"I see. That is upsetting, I would imagine."

She huffed. _"Besides that, I need to talk to you about other things. Can we meet in person?"_

Rolling his eyes, L told her, "I'm far too busy at the moment … Perhaps, I'll be free soon though, and I suppose it is time we discuss certain matters. I'll call you with a time and address at a later time."

" _Busy? With what? All you do is sit around your hotel from what I've seen."_

L frowned. "How do you know I'm not out and about?"

" _You? Ha! Doing what?"_

"I might be replenishing my supplies. Or perhaps I'm on a date."

" _Please. Even I can figure out you have your supplies delivered if nothing else, and I don't think I need to deign the second one with an answer."_

"You're a rather offensive woman, aren't you, Miss Gushike?"

" _I- You know what? Never mind. Just call me when you're ready,"_ she told him, frustration evident in her tone before she hung up.

L sighed. That was something else to deal with later.

 **~}(4){~**

With her feet propped up on the kitchen table, an 80's Rock song from America blaring through her CD player, and the scent of homemade butterscotch candies baking in the oven, Hatsumi was having a good day. Like, a really good day. Her darling husband was at work. Atsuo was in school now, and her grandfather had offered to take Ai off her hands for the day.

Now, don't get her wrong. Sumi loved her family, adored them even. Light of her life and all that. However, she also liked to blare Rock songs and eat junk food while not sounding hypocritical for telling Atsuo he couldn't do the same. Not to mention it was kind of nice to not have Ai's adorably chubby fingers mercilessly attempting to separate her hair from her scalp. Oh, and the general lack of dirt, food, spit, other preferably-left-unidentified substances, etc. on her person was nice too.

She was enjoying herself so much, that she managed not to hear the knocking on her door two times, and it was only a stroke of luck that she heard it the third time as she had been going to grab her favorite blanket off her bed. The stairs that led to her bedroom took her right by the front door. A glance through the peephole told her it was Yuya Tsukino and Ren's other teammate. Sumi had only worked with him once and hadn't really bothered with learning his name... She thought it was something with a K.

Throwing the door open with a wide grin, she greeted them, "Hey! What's going on?" She gave them expectant looks.

Yuya had to yell to be heard over the music. "Can we come in? We need to talk to you!"

Nodding, Sumi shouted, "Just a second!" Then she shut the door on them.

After she kicked a pile of toys, trash, and goodness knew what else into the living room and shut the door on it all, she hurried into the kitchen. There, in record time, she shoved utensils into drawers, set a pot of coffee to brewing, and shut off the music. Nodding to herself and going over a mental checklist, reasonably satisfied that her house was back to some semblance of order, Sumi pasted on a smile and opened the front door again.

The looks on their face were priceless. They both just looked so confused. In fact, the one with glasses actually had his mouth hanging open a little. Now, Sumi had never been one to hold in her laughter in accordance with social graces, and this was no exception. She only laughed harder as they both scowled at her. Rain was soaking into their fancy clothes that all detectives felt the need to wear, and Sumi told them, "Well, don't just stand there. Don't you want to come in?"

"Yeah," Yuya spoke up blandly," thanks, Hatsumi."

Stepping to the side as they came in and removed their shoes, Hatsumi gave them a wry smile. "Sorry for the wait. I had a few things to take care of."

"It's nothing," the guy, whose name probably started with a K, said.

"I can take your jackets if you want," she offered, holding out her hands as the two nodded and moved to comply, solemn looks on their face. Weren't they a cheerful bunch? It was bringing down her mood already. And why wasn't Ren with them? Although Sumi was no detective, she could hear alarm bells when they were ringing, and they were on high alert at the moment. Had something happened to her sister- No. No, there was no sense in that train of thought. Leaping to conclusions was bad. With this in mind, Sumi maintained a bright smile. "Follow me, please."

Leading them to the kitchen, she allowed them to sit down and poured two cups of coffee for them like a perfect little host. _'Take that, Mom,'_ she thought, the memory of her mother criticizing her manners always coming to mind when she had guests. "I have candies in the oven, but they still have-" She leaned over and checked the timer. "- about twenty minutes. So you might miss out on those."

Yuya waved her off, dismissing her concerns. "Eh, it's not a big deal. We're not here to impose anyways."

Nodding to herself, Sumi poured a third cup of coffee and took a seat across from them. "I see. That leaves me with the question: to what do I owe the honor of a visit from one Yuya Tsukino and, er..." She trailed off.

"Koji Ogawa," he supplied, inclining his head at her.

Nodding in return, she continued, "And one Koji Ogawa." She tapped a finger against her chin. "Shouldn't you guys be obsessively pouring over files on WIK and living off of fast food and generally just destroying your dietary needs? Wait.. Never mind, _Ren's_ the only one stupid enough to do that. She gave them pointed looks, silently asking where her sister was.

Ogawa and Yuya shared a look that contained all kinds of secrets. What was _that_ about? Okay, maybe she was right to worry about her sister. _'What the hell did you get yourself into, Ren?'_

Clearing his throat, Yuya admitted, "Actually, she's the reason we're here." Anticipating the panic that flashed across her face, Yuya raised his hands haltingly. "She's fine. At least, physically."

With a frown, Sumi crossed her arms under her bust. "What the hell is that supposed to mean? Is she not fine _mentally_ or something?"

Ogawa shifted in his seat. "That's not exactly the wording I would use."

Rolling his eyes at the vague statement, Yuya clarified, "What he means is that we're here to ask you about that."

Dubious, Sumi eyed them. "Alright... Ask away."

"Has she seemed normal to you these past few weeks?"

"Define normal?"

Yuya stared at her, pressing his lips into a thin line. "C'mon, Hatsumi. You have to give me something to work with here."

Really, Sumi liked Yuya. He was funny, fairly intelligent, and a pretty nice guy. In fact, had she not married Takeo when she did, she probably would've given Yuya a run for his money. She just didn't like the tone he had taken with her at the moment. Huffing a light laugh, she turned her nose up at them. "I don't have to give you a damn thing if I don't want to," she told him promptly. "Maybe if I knew what had brought all this on?.."

"That's need-to-know information," Ogawa rebuffed her.

"Yeah, and I need to know. This is my baby sister we're talking about, guys," she retorted, eyebrows furrowing. As she waited for them to come to a decision, she sipped her coffee. Did they think she was stupid just because she wasn't a detective? Obviously, something had happened to make them question Ren's mental state. Sumi wanted to know what was going on and help if she could.

Finally, Yuya explained, "Look, it's not a big deal, despite how my partner made it sound. We just noticed she seems a bit off lately and wanted to know if you had noticed, seeing as you're a lot closer to her than we are." Shrugging as she stared at him assessingly, searching for any traces of deceit, he took a drink of coffee. He glanced down at it thoughtfully for a moment before nodding at her in approval. "You make a hell of a cup of coffee by the way. Better than your sister at any rate."

She snorted at that. After a moment, she relaxed. "That's all it is?" she questioned, steering things back on topic.

Yuya nodded. "Yeah. That's it. Cross my heart and all that."

"Okay." Sumi thought for a moment. "You asked if she's been acting differently lately? Well, of course she has."

"What's that supposed to mean?" Koji asked.

Raising an unimpressed eyebrow, she continued, "What, you really think this case wouldn't affect her? Ren is ..." She tilted her head from side to side, looking for the right word. "Well, she's a perfectionist. To a fault in my opinion, which is probably our parent's fault since they ran a pretty strict household..." Shaking her head, she continued, "Anyways, she doesn't like it when she can't figure something out, or if someone outsmarts her, or if she makes a simple mistake. Right now, it's really easy for her to make mistakes, and whenever she _does_ make one, she can blame herself to a point of self-hatred. Again, it's a fault of hers."

"So you're saying this is nothing unusual?" clarified Yuya, crossing his legs and taking a drink from his coffee.

Sumi hesitated, thinking on it for a bit. "Well, I wouldn't say that exactly..." At their expectant looks, she let out a sigh. "Inevitable is closer to the word I would use."

After a moment of contemplative silence, Yuya asked, "Have you noticed anything else?"

Frowning again, she took a drink of coffee to give herself time to figure out what he was playing at. It sounded to her like they wanted her to say something specific. If they _were_ really there for the sole reason of Ren's benefit, they were going about it in an odd way. Her eyes narrowed a fraction. What were they after? Shrugging it off for the moment, Sumi responded, "Perhaps she has, to an extent. But the thing about Ren is that she's got such weird habits already that it's hard to gauge what's normal. Then again, maybe I only think that because she's my sister." Before they could press her anymore, she said, "Now, that's really all I have to say on the subject of Ren. You two need anything else?"

"If that's all you have to say," Ogawa answered, "then we'll be going now." With that, he stood up, clasping his hands behind his back.

Before moving to follow his associate, Yuya looked over at her, pleading in his eyes. "I know you'll probably tell her regardless of what I say, but I think it would be for the best if we kept this between the three of us."

"Yeah, but best for who?"

"She might get the wrong idea about all of this."

"I wonder why?" Sumi deadpanned, not fond of the idea of keeping a secret from her sister – especially considering it concerned her.

Sighing, he rubbed at his eyes. "Look. Just.. think about it. For Ren's sake too."

As she picked up her cup, she glanced away from him. "You'll excuse me if I don't show you out. You've given me something to think over for the time being."

Understanding that she had dismissed them, he nodded at her one more time before leaving her alone in the kitchen. She heard them putting on their shoes and coats in the entryway for a couple of minutes before they were gone with the click of the door shutting. For a while yet, Sumi stayed where she was, staring down into her coffee. Were they actually there for Ren's sake? She didn't know why they would've turned against her since Ren had only ever said good things about them. Add to that Sumi's knowledge of Yuya personally. He wasn't the type to undermine someone for no reason … But still, their behavior felt strange, coming to her as they did.

Should she tell Ren? Or would that only worsen whatever had happened? Sumi didn't believe that simple curiosity could've motivated their actions …

With a sigh of frustration, Sumi stood up and collected the three cups, depositing them in the sink. So much for her good mood.

Glancing at the clock, she wished her husband would hurry up and get off work. She could discuss this with him.

 **~}(5){~**

Soon enough, L found himself standing on the front porch of Zunori Morino. By this time, the police tape that had surrounded the premises had been removed, and the house had begun to be cleaned as much as possible without a total replacement of flooring. The house wasn't ready to be put on the market yet, so the original flooring and all of Morino's furnishings would still be inside.

Either way, that wouldn't prevent L from accomplishing what he had set out to do as he was feeling rather stubborn about this.

When someone was murdered in a house, the building retained the atmosphere of the crime, like a shadow looming over the place. More so than an alley would at any rate. A home was a part of a person after all.

On the door, a notice had been posted warning people away with the knowledge that this was a crime scene and that trespassers would be heavily fined upon entry. Ignoring the notice, L reached out and tested the door knob. Locked. As he had predicted. The dark-haired detective pulled two bobby-pins out of his back pockets, bending them into the proper shapes before setting to work on the lock. Within moments, the tumblers gave, and he turned the knob. Stuffing his hands, along with the makeshift lock pick, into his pockets, L casually stepped through the door, shutting it behind himself.

As he glanced around the unlit home, dark and empty despite the presence of furnishings, the case files on Morino came to the forefront of his mind. Morino, Zunori. Age 39. Height 6'3''. Weight 196 lbs. Hair color black. Eye color brown. Occupation police officer. Time of death approximately 5:15 A.M. Cause of death exsanguination. Location, victim's home, middle of entryway.

Despite evidence of scrubbing and attempted cleaning, the floor directly in front of L was stained brown-black. Blood had soaked into the wood, leaving a scar on the house like a macabre monument to the murder. Crouching down and pulling a latex glove over one of his hands, he ran a finger across a particularly dark spot.

Rising and sidestepping the rest of the bloodstains, L wandered through the rest of the house, gathering a feel for Morino himself. A look at the rotted food in his refrigerator showed L shelves of stored vegetables and fruits, along with the leaner meats and other health foods while his cabinets had been packed with protein powder and other dietary supplements. _'Health obsessive. Morino was a large man and strove to keep it that way.'_ L frowned in distaste. He hated to imagine surviving off a diet that consisted solely of such foods.

After he closed all the cabinets and fridge, the genius detective proceeded to Morino's closet. Mostly, it was filled with business suits, an occasional pair of shorts and polo or gym suit mixed in. He also kept a particularly extensive collection of pajamas and matching robes. _'He takes his time off seriously. Nothing of true interest.'_

And so, L continued much in this manner for close to the next half hour until he had gone through every room of the house, all the drawers, closets, and any other enclosed spaces. By then, he had an exact impression of just who Morino was. He was a simple, but efficient person, who seemed to take every aspect of his life with total seriousness whether it be working, eating, participating in recreational activities, or relaxing. He spent most of his time at work, but maintained an average social life and enjoyed lounging around in night clothes when at home.

Standing in the middle of the victim's living room, L tilted his head to the side. _'How would I do this if I were WIK?'_ He tapped a finger against his lips. _'I've broken into Officer Morino's house. Unlike the others I've disposed of, this person is still on active duty. His footsteps bang against the stairs, something I'm expecting as I've researched my target. I know him, and he awakens at five every morning.'_

L pressed himself flat against the wall separating the kitchen from the living room. _'Morino is a large man... In a one on one fight, even I would be unable to overtake him through brute force alone.'_ Lifting his hand up in front of him, the detective pantomimed holding a syringe. _'But that's why I use this – as it makes these outings go much smoother... After I wait until Morino passes my hiding place, his back to my person now, I take several silent steps forward until I'm directly behind him.'_ L moved to act out the scene.

 _'Then I jump, jamming the syringe into the vein in his throat with one hand, covering his mouth with the other, my legs wrapped around his waist to keep myself stable. At first, he thrashes, hands clawing at me, attempting to pull me off. However, Morino is still groggy, and the serum I used is fast acting. When his arms sluggishly drop to his sides and his steps begin to falter, I let my feet slide back to the floor._

 _'Morino wobbles one more time, and my hands tug gently on his shoulders, encouraging his hulking form to fall back against me.'_ L dragged an imaginary body over to the place where Morino was murdered. _'Taking a moment to drag him into position, I spread his arms and legs out like a sacrifice on an altar.'_ He frowned at the floor.

 _'Ren Gushike challenged me yesterday. She believes I will be startled that she's figured it out … How wrong she is. No, this is what I wanted all along. Perhaps this will be the final straw to draw_ him _out. If nothing else, she will know just how willing I am to meet her challenge directly. I glance at the clock. There's no time for these musings. Much is to be done in a short frame of time.'_

L padded back to the kitchen for a moment, retrieving an imaginary kitchen knife. _'Now that I have a non-distinct weapon, I can begin.'_ Crouching down, the detective reached out in front of him. _'I must use the most caution here. I cannot afford to get blood on myself. Starting with the two femoral arteries, I make two thin slices. Morino has taken very good care of his kitchen utensils, for the knife is very sharp still. Blood begins pooling around the wounds, crimson pulsating with each beat of Morino's fading heart.'_

Then L shifted to the right, positioning himself above where Morino's head would've been. _'The next two cuts to each wrist are unnecessary. In truth, Morino would've bled out from only the first cut. But this isn't about what's necessary. This is about making a statement._

 _'Blood is spilling across the floor oh so quickly now. If I don't hurry, I won't be able to finish my goal.'_ Reaching into what would be the pocket of a jacket, L pretended to pull out another syringe. _'Carefully, near reverently, I peel back the sides of Morino's robe. With a quick thrust, I've jabbed the long needle into one of his lungs. Twisting the cylinder, I release the needle from the body of the syringe, swapping it out for the note I've prepared. It's a simple message, but I believe it gets my point across quite nicely. After planting the note on the protruding needle, I fold the ends of Morino's robes back over it.'_

Rising and back-stepping to avoid the blood, L continued staring at where the body would be. _'Of course, it would've been much simpler to place my message then lacerate Morino's appendages. However, I needed his heart to beat for as long as possible. I'm setting up a scene for the task force, and well, presentation is everything.'_

The genius detective's head snapped towards the door. _'The mailman has arrived. Just as predicted since I want this body found as soon as possible. However, that also means my time is up.'_ Hurrying over to the back door, L's eyes fell to the locking mechanism. _'Morino always leaves his doors locked, and beyond that, it would be all to easy for someone to catch a glimpse of me if I exit here.'_

Climbing up the stairs Morino had descended that morning, L opened the window that sat at the midway point of the staircase. _'Here is better. There are few houses on this side, and the trees in the back yard will obscure my escape.'_ After he pushed the window open, the dark-haired detective stepped out onto the window seal, giving Morino's body one final stare. _'The next time I see this body, I won't be able to appreciate my workmanship for what it is. Perfection.'_ Then L glanced between the imaginary knife in his hand and the ground below outside. _'I have to take this with me. There is no time to return and clean it, and I will not allow the police a single hint about my progression through Morino's house. I must take care to prevent any blood from staining my clothes in the jump down'_

With that, L pushed himself out the window, which sat a mere five feet off the ground, landing with a dull thud. His head jerked back up to the window. _'It slammed behind me. Even as prepared as I am, there is no way to account for everything. Just then, the mailman's screams reach my ears. I need to hurry and turn towards the path that winds between houses in the back. Although they lead closer to the police station, they are less open while not being completely obscured in a way that might draw attention to the sight of someone walking along them._

 _'I hold the bloodied kitchen knife in the small space between my wrist and my side, preventing it from actually touching me – difficult, but not impossible.'_ L set out, his fingers grasping an invisible knife and arms held out in a way that seemed natural while not brushing his sides. Though an uncomfortable way to walk, it would do the job of concealing the knife.

 _'Even if I do run across someone on these pathways, it doesn't matter if they see me. I only need to make sure they don't give me a second glance. This is why I don't take more drastic measures to conceal myself. Why am I not worried? I belong. I am natural, someone they would trust.. Is it my face that is trustworthy? Perhaps I only look harmless to them all. Or perhaps it's my occupation? I am someone who wouldn't look out of place walking the streets early in the morning. Someone of little note despite the odd hours.'_

A few minutes of walking along the pathway passed. Even before he had left Morino's house, the rain had stopped, and though still overcast for the most part, the clouds had begun to break their form. L spotted a trashcan and paused, glancing down at his hand. _'I need to dispose of this knife as it links me to this crime, and if I were found now, the evidence would be damning. I cannot bring it back to my apartment. If I am somehow connected to these murders, it would be difficult to explain the presence of a possible murder weapon. Unfortunately, a trash can is a pitifully obvious place to hide the murder weapon. I know it will be the first place the police check.'_

Tilting his head to the side, L's eyes narrowed. _'Why do I know that? Is it simple research that lets me know this? No... This feels more natural than that. This knowledge... goes deeper than that.'_

A little further down the road, L glanced at a house with a high flat roof. _'I could toss it up there …'_ Averting his gaze and continuing on, he shook his head. _'But no. That is another obvious location, and I am still far too close to the scene of the crime. Before I can dispose of this, I need to get out of the police's area of search. And I know the exact range of search..._

 _'Again, is this simple research that tells me these things? No, not in this case. These details come to me without effort, the information as natural to me as breathing. These are procedures I have followed for a very long time.'_

Over half an hour passed as L heading down the pathways. Though the sun had broken through the clouds in places, the genius detective paid this little mind. He was in the killer's head now – even going so far as to adopt his way of speaking his discussions with Ren had revealed.

At that moment, he came to the end of the pathway, where it let out into a small park. There wasn't much in the area aside from a few benches and a pond. A few people had come out now that the bad weather had passed, but the detective pictured what this park would look like so early in the morning. What it would look like when the world was still asleep. It would be empty. _'Though houses face this park, it is so early. No one is out at the moment, most of them are still sleeping safe in their beds, unworried about the so-called "monsters" that roam the streets.'_

L's footsteps halted for a moment, and he looked over at the pond. _'Here. This is where I should do it. Even though the park is easily visible from the surrounding area, this is the best place. They aren't awake to witness my actions. Besides, I am not worried about people who might catch a glimpse of me right now. I belong here. If they see me around, people won't feel suspicious or threatened. I am one of them._

 _'As I walk to the the pond's edge, my footsteps are kept steady, never stilted or hurried. I am a simple person out for a morning stroll.'_ L glanced down at the pebbles surrounding the pond. _'Still, I can't let people see me throw a knife. That_ is _something that would stick in their memories. Though it is okay to be seen, it would be a mistake to be remembered... However, Perhaps I'm feeling contemplative this morning.'_

Picking up a couple of stones, L skipped them across the surface. _'Splash... I glance around._

 _'Splash... I can't see anyone._

 _'Splash … Even if they do see, no one cares.'_ With a flick of his wrist,L mimed the action, imagining the weapon making an arc through the air and landing in the middle of the pond. _'Splash.'_

Tilting his head to the side, L pressed his thumb against his lower lip. Even if this the route WIK had taken, it would be impossible to trace WIK's steps any further without more information. There were too many exit paths they could've taken, and without a knowledge of who the criminal was, it was difficult to determine which one that would be. However, if L was WIK, that was the exact path he would've taken to this point. Sighing, he thought, _'Still... I have to be certain.'_

With that thought, L waded into the pond, ignoring the way his clothes became soaked as well as the idea that it was further into the afternoon, and people were present. The water sloshed against his sides as he toed his way through the pond, his feet squishing into the mossy bed.

Across the park, sitting on a bench beside his mother, a little boy tugged on her sleeve and pointed excitedly at the strange man walking in the pond. "Mommy! I wanna swim too."

Scoffing at the sight, the woman turned her nose up. "I don't think so. Not in a park pond. Besides that, it's freezing out here today. What kind of person would want to swim today?"

Meanwhile, L kept going until he reached the middle of the pond. Since it was man-made and a rather small park, the water only reached up to his waist, and if he squinted, he could see all the way to the bottom of it. It would take some time to search the entire pond, but he was willing to put in the effort if only to confirm his own thoughts. For the next ten minutes, he splashed around the pond.

However, just then by a random stroke of luck. some object caught the light in just the right way, a brief flash from the bottom. Bending down, L pulled it out from where it had been stuck in the mossy bed with his gloved hand. He revealed a simple kitchen knife, covered in various particles from the pond and rust just beginning to set in.

A smile that was all smugness and self-satisfaction crossed his face.

"So you are real."

 **~}(){~**


	16. Sentiment

**Chapter XV: Sentiment**

 ****" _Is it possible to succeed without any act of betrayal?" - Jean Renoir_

 **~}(1){~**

" _You're a rather offensive woman, aren't you?"_

"I- You know what? Never mind. Just call me when you're ready." Ren snapped before she slammed her phone shut. Then she threw it at her couch, watching with a frustrated huff as it bounced off the back cushion and fell on the carpet with a dull thud. Carding her fingers through her hair, she let out a deep breath. The entire morning had been just all around terrible, and it made her wish she never got out of bed that day.

Nothing had worked out like she wanted today. First, they'd been dragged out of bed to deal with another body. Then there was WIK's message... God only knew what that psycho's game was. Huffing a laugh that teetered on the edge of hysteria, Ren came to a realization, _'I sure as hell don't.'_ After that, Yuya and Koji had decided that she was suspicious and interrogated her. That's what it had been after all. Ren was no idiot.

Oh, and of course, the missing transcripts … Where could the- … Ren shook her head. For nearly an hour after they had left, she had gone around in circles with herself about that. She had written them … Hadn't she? Ren had always prided herself on her good memory and observational skills. Was it possible that she could've misremembered it? Though she wanted to protest that, it was difficult to do so when there was no sign that she had ever written them... Maybe Koji was right … Maybe she hadn't written them. Frustrated with that line of thought as well, Ren dug the heels of her palms into her eyes, head ache worsening.

Transcripts aside, how was she going to patch things up with her team?

They hadn't bothered with farewells when they left, nor did the three make plans for their next move … How should she act the next time she saw them? How would they act? Would they bring it up? Ren wasn't naive enough to believe this would all just get swept under the rug. This was... This was such a mess. She had screwed up so much on this case … But this wasn't really a screw up, was it? Was she wrong to follow a promising lead?

They had asked how WIK would've known if she told only them … In hindsight, it seemed so obvious. It was a conclusion anyone could've drawn. So how had she missed it? Lately, with her decisions, she seemed to miss one obvious flaw. Something that should've been easy to notice. Something she _usually_ noticed. Was this case really getting to her that much? Though she was frustrated and stressed, Ren hadn't thought it was affecting her that much. Koji and Yuya certainly did now … When they had looked at her, she had seen the disappointed reluctance in their eyes, like they thought her actions were cracks in her sanity.

Was it so wrong for her to use these conversations with WIK – in which she only risked her own sense of security – as an advantage? Ren shook her head. No, she wasn't wrong. Was she? The longer this went on, the more she began to doubt herself. But, this was for the case, and it hadn't been like she went out of her way to hide it from them … _'Would it have been so hard to tell them? Honestly, I had to have known somewhere that there was no way WIK could've figured something like that out...'_ part of her mind whispered. It was the part of herself that always doubted, strengthened lately by the way everything was happening. At the time, it had seemed like a safer bet to follow WIK's instructions – to not let such a promising lead slip through her fingers.

 _'Was that my actual reasoning? Or did I just want to solve the case on my own? I can't deny how good it felt when I identified the victims.'_ Her fingers gripped tighter. That wasn't true. Sumi had pointed her in the right direction anyways. Ren had just opened a file. Besides that, she would never be that shallow about her job. This wasn't a game. Didn't she do this to help people? Lately, some of the thoughts she had made her wonder, and she didn't like that at all. _'I just wanted to solve it all on my own and—'_

"Stop it," she told herself, trying to force the train of thought to cease. Despite the silence in her apartment, Ren wanted to cover her ears in the hopes that it would block out the thoughts. "There's no point in all of this."

She needed to calm down. Then she could get back to work, busy herself, something to drown out the thoughts. Sucking in a deep breath, Ren unclenched her hands and brought them back down by her sides. Then she opened her eyes and took odd, stilted steps until she made it to the bathroom. After turning on the tap, she splashed water on her face, the temperature shock helping to break her out of this state she'd worked herself into. Just breathing now, she did her best to think of other matters like childhood memories and her sisters Hatsumi and Cindy and plans for her younger sister's wedding.

Her mind, however, kept going back to the case and her mistakes.. What was going on with her? This had never happened before... Ren's reflection in the mirror gave her pause. Her eyes were bloodshot and dull, the sharp depths of gray she was used to seeing no longer present. With a light touch, she dragged her thumb across the dark, sagging skin under her eyes. Her hair was matted and sticking up in places from the way she had ruffled it in the living-room. No wonder Yuya and Koji thought she was cracking. She looked like she was already broken. Shaking her head, she forced her gaze away from the mirror.

With deep breaths, she dried her face, smoothed her hair out, and applied some make up to lessen the dark circles.. Better, she decided.

Ren … Ren needed to do something, _anything_. Heading into the kitchen, she began to brew a pot of herbal coffee, nearly ripping the package in her haste to do so. In the past, whenever she worked herself up about something, this helped calm her mind, the simple act of going through the motions enough to distract her away from whatever issue preyed on her.

As soon as it was done and had cooled for a moment. She downed one cup, reveling in the heat on her throat before pouring a second.

However, the thoughts would refuse to leave her entirely, and she would continue to doubt herself and her motivations.

 **~}(2){~**

It took several attempts, but eventually, Yuya managed to catch Koji's attention and gesture towards the break room with his head. In response, Koji nodded, casually grabbing his things before heading that way. One day short of a week had passed since they had decided to do a bit of an investigation on Ren, and during that time, the break room – when it was empty anyways – had become their unofficial meeting place, whether it was to discuss Ren herself or the case with WIK.

Just because they were looking into Ren didn't mean they had stopped doing their job.. They were just investigating her when they had time for it – which was disappointingly often since the case had rammed into a dead end since nothing had happened since last week or panned out from interrogating the Kira supporters.

That was actually what Yuya wanted to discuss with Koji.

By far, their most promising suspect was Teru Mikami. The prosecutor and Kira supporter had been one of the few who refused to come in for questioning upon request. Apparently, he followed some ridiculous regiment every week and couldn't break it for something as unnecessary as being questioned for a crime he didn't commit. His words. Yet, even with such a strict schedule, he didn't seem to have an alibi for the times of the murders, or if he did, Mikami hadn't bothered to share it with them. Despite his own involvement in the criminal justice system, the guy had no great love for the police, claiming they had lost their sense of justice long ago. All of that made him a pretty suspicious character in Yuya's book … Also a pretty big asshole, but that was beside the point.

Unfortunately, they didn't really have much evidence from the case that actually pointed to him – not enough to order his detainment anyways. But Yuya just had a bad feeling about this guy. Something about him spelled bad news, and the detective was determined to find out what that might be.

Gathering up his coffee mug, the files on Mikami, and anything else he might need, Yuya proceeded to the break room to meet up with Koji. When he pushed through the door, he caught sight of the other man leaning against the wall by the coffee maker and raising an eyebrow at him. No one else was in there. Good. They wouldn't have to wait for anyone to leave.

"Yuya, have you found something?" Koji questioned as he moved to sit down in one of the chairs at the table. Even though this wasn't the first time he had said it, it still struck Yuya as odd when Koji addressed him by his first name. When they banded together in light of this whole situation with Ren, the two had stopped arguing for the most part... They weren't friends but … Well, damn; they kind of were friends by this point. Now that truly was astounding.

Shaking the revelation off and refocusing on the situation at hand, Yuya took a seat across from Koji, folding his hands on top of each other where they rested on the table. "Not exactly," he replied to Koji's question, sliding Mikami's file across the table. "But _we're_ going to... I think we can both agree that Teru Mikami is our best suspect at the moment, right?"

Pushing his glasses into place as he read over the file, Koji nodded. "He is the closest person we have to one at any rate."

"We have to get more information on him. That's the only way we're going to move forward with this."

"Alright, I understand you so far," Koji told him slowly, appraising him with curiosity. "However, he already refused to come in for questioning."

Yuya snapped his fingers and pointed at the dark-haired man across from him. "Exactly. That's why you're going to tail him."

Frowning, Koji asked, "Just me? Why aren't you coming?"

"The both of us together would draw more attention. Besides that, I'm not the best when it comes to these things," Yuya admitted with a shrug. He knew where his strengths lay, and there was no sense in letting his own pride hold the case back. "You're good with subtlety and observing. It only makes sense that you should be the one to do this."

"Very well... Am I correct in assuming we aren't going to tell Ms. Gushike about this?"

Huffing a sigh, Yuya nodded, still bitter. "For now, I think we should keep this to ourselves. At least until we come to a decision about what to do with her – which we need to do soon by the way."

Koji tapped a finger against his chin in consideration. "I see your point. Perhaps tomorrow we should see Chief Aizawa. However, back on track, you're forgetting one thing. Isn't this illegal? Tailing someone without a warrant?"

Grinning wolfishly, Yuya leaned back in his seat and crossed his arms. "Absolutely. But you're just going for a walk, right?"

He smirked back, understanding dawning in his eyes. "I suppose I am."

 **~}(3){~**

Several phone calls and two hours later found Koji sitting on a bench across the street from none other than Teru Mikami's work building. The prosecutor was supposed to finish working for the day within the next ten minutes, something that he and Yuya had learned, along with several other useful pieces of information, from Mikami's secretary. Apparently, it was an hour earlier than usual to compensate for his car being at the mechanic's shop at present.

Mikami lived by a strict schedule after all.

Koji could respect that – appreciate it even. For he too preferred to live a well-organized life, to put boundaries around the chaos so to speak. It was partly what made him such a good detective, the methodical approach he implored, and it helped him excel in other aspects of his life, that singlemindedness. In other words, he understood Mikami's desire for order in his life. They were very similar in that respect, he knew. If it weren't for his role in this case, had they met in another life, he and Mikami might have become actual friends. Well, Koji could see the possibility at any rate. But, that would be a different time – a different world.

Considering everything that the task force knew about WIK, Kira, the supporters, all of it, Mikami was one of the very few who could be painted as suspect. Forget that there was no physical evidence that could link him to the crimes. Up to date, they had found no evidence linking any person to the crimes, and Koji couldn't see that changing any time soon the way events were progressing. They worked off pure speculation and known motivations for the time being. With Mikami, it was easy to understand why Yuya found him suspicious … At this point, even Koji was almost convinced by his partner's logic …. Speaking of the gruff man...

"Are you still there?" Yuya's voice came through the phone. They had agreed to keep in contact for the time being and for as long as possible.

"Just check your call screen. It should tell you whether I've hung up or not," he retorted, rolling his eyes. Yuya had asked that same question at least twice now, and it was becoming an irritant.

"Don't get smart with me. How am I supposed to know you haven't dropped it or something?" he asked.

"Assuming you didn't simply _hear_ the sound of it dropping?"

"What if I had to step away from the phone and missed it?"

"Did you?" Koji asked, voice even. He already knew the answer.

"Well … not this time ..."

Smirking to himself, Koji said, "Then we don't have a problem _this time_." Even over the phone, he could hear Yuya's sulking – though he knew the other detective was no longer actually upset by their 'arguments' if they could even be called such as they lacked any sort of malice anymore. It was more about keeping one aspect of their situation like it had always been since so much had changed in the past week.

"Yeah, yeah. Whatever." Yuya snorted. "Look, I actually just wanted to know if you had eyes on Mikami yet," he explained.

Glancing over through the glass doors into the lobby of the building, Koji spotted the familiar head of long black hair that belonged to Mikami. His target was only talking to his receptionist for the time being. At the moment, it was two minutes until six. If Mikami truly was as meticulous as Koji thought he was, the detective assumed he wouldn't set foot outside until precisely six o'clock. To Yuya, he said, "I see him, but he hasn't left the building yet."

"What's he doing?"

"If I were to guess," Koji began, rising from his seat on the bench to find a less visible spot, "I would say he's clarifying his agenda for tomorrow with the receptionist. However, it's not like I'm able to hear him from here." He headed roughly twenty meters past the work building in the opposite direction he knew Mikami would take. Just then, the prosecutor pushed through the doors of the office. "He just left," Koji filled Yuya in, lowering his voice even further just to be extra-cautious. "I'm following him now."

"Good work. And remember to stay out of sight," Yuya said.

"Doing otherwise would defeat the purpose," Koji deadpanned as he took off after their suspect.

"Everyone can use a reminder every now and again, Mr. Perfect."

A muscle ticked in his jaw. "Don't call me that … I need to focus now. You aren't taking this very seriously, considering it was your idea in the first place."

"Maybe I just have that much faith in your abilities … Anyways, I get the idea. You're right, I'll shut up for the time being."

After that exchange, nothing of much interest happened for the next fifteen minutes or so. Mikami's routine on Tuesdays consisted of work, then gym, dinner, and finally home for the night to repeat the cycle the next day. Therefore, Koji knew exactly where he was headed if Mikami's secretary had been telling the truth, and as of yet, nothing had happened to deviate from that plan.

But that all changed when Mikami began speeding up all of a sudden. At first, it was barely noticeable. However, Koji could definitely tell that he moved faster now.

 _'Did he notice me?'_ Koji knew he excelled at blending in. It was just the way he was, for he wasn't exactly tall or short, and as far as Japanese men went, he had fairly common features. Besides that, he was almost twenty-five meters behind Mikami now. _'Are his instincts just that good?'_ That was possible. Or perhaps he was only concerned with arriving at the gym on time since he had to forgo his vehicle today.

Except he turned on to a back alley at that moment – a path which led far from the route Mikami followed. Koji needed to catch up to him. "Something's wrong," he told Yuya. "He might be suspicious of me. I'm going to try to catch up to him."

"Alright... Do what you need to. Just try not to let him see you."

Steps hurried, Koji turned where Mikami had to find the passageway deserted. Cursing, he clenched his free hand into a fist. "I might've lost him just now. He went into an alley, but I don't see him anywhere."

"Damn... What do you want to do then?"

Koji looked down the path and counted five different offshoots where Mikami could've turned. "It's a system of alleys.. I'm going to try and pick up his trail. If I can't find him, I'll head to the gym and see if he's there."

"That sounds good. Look, I gotta go. Ren's heading this way."

Koji nodded to himself. "Fine. We'll talk later," he said, hanging up the phone. This would be much easier without Yuya on the phone anyways. There were only a couple of ways Mikami would've gone … Koji just had to figure out which one.

As he glanced down the alleyway, eyes skimming the damp stone walls, his mouth pressed into a thin line. _'I won't let him get away from me.'_

 **~}(4){~**

Just as Yuya hung up the phone, Ren reached his desk. In the past week, she had, whether she realized she was doing so was another story entirely, avoided Koji and Yuya. Truthfully, the dark-haired girl was probably keeping her distance because she wanted to give them space after the argument. Regardless, it worked out better for him and Koji this way since they didn't have to worry about distracting her … Usually.

It figured she would show up when they were right in the middle of something big.

For a long moment, she was silent as though considering if she should actually speak up or not. Eventually though, Ren cleared her throat to draw his attention. Glancing up, Yuya's eyes swept over her face, noting that she wore heavier make up now in an attempt to hide the dark circles under her eyes. She looked … dull... Her hair, her eyes, her skin. She was like a walking husk, and Yuya couldn't help his gut reaction to feel concerned for the girl. Even after she had hid all that important information from them, he still cared about her. Ren was his friend. She had been for a while now, and though he suspected she couldn't quite handle this case anymore, he still thought of her as such … That didn't mean he wasn't still pissed at her, but he had always been a softy when it came to the well-being of his friends.

Expression even and tone kept professional, Yuya did his best to push that concern away for the time being and asked, "Did you need something?"

Hearing his inflection, her face faltered for a moment before she plastered on a mechanical smile, disheartened. "How've you been lately? I've been meaning to ask ..." Ren glanced away, not quite able to hold his eyes.

"Busy as usual …" He eyed her suspiciously. Yuya wasn't as stupid as people liked to believe, and he knew when someone wanted something. "How about yourself?"

Shrugging, she answered, "Alright … It's been a long week..." The dark-haired girl trailed off, shuffling from foot to foot, more or less refusing to look at him. This was getting ridiculous.

Yuya huffed a heavy sigh. "Look, Ren. Just say what you came here to say." For a long time now, Yuya hadn't been one to dance around issues with someone, and he wasn't about to start now. It was much easier to know where you stood with someone when they actually told you where you stood.

Running a hand through her hair, she slumped a little. "Sorry to bother you, but have you seen Koji?" Ren glanced over toward their partner's desk. "I've been looking around, but I can't find him."

"Uh..." Yuya scratched the back of his head. "What do you need him for? Is it something I can do since he's out at the moment?"

A furrow worked into her brow. "Out? What's he doing?"

Yuya didn't want to lie to her. He might not have told her the whole truth about what they had been doing the past week, but he hadn't needed to lie to her as of yet, which was something he hoped to avoid. Rubbing at his forehead, Yuya sighed. "He's, uh, he's just out at the moment, okay? Don't let it worry you."

At that moment, realization dawned in her eyes, and she shuffled uncomfortably. "Oh … I see."

"Yeah, we just-"

"No," she interrupted him raising a hand to stop him, "I get it. Don't worry. I've made a lot of bad calls lately." Ren closed her eyes and pinched the bridge of her nose. "None of this has worked out like I planned." Yuya wasn't exactly sure what to say in response to that. Really, it wasn't like he could offer her a pat on the back and tell her he was okay with everything that had happened. It wasn't okay to excuse her actions, so he just kept quiet, letting the silence build between them. Suddenly, her eyes opened, hand falling away from her face, and a sad smile crossed her face. "It's been so difficult, handling this case... Sometimes I forget that it's difficult for you and Koji too. I'm so sorry, Yuya. I-" she cut herself off, turning her back on him, and Yuya wondered if he'd imagined the slight sheen over her eyes. Taking a deep breath, she continued, "Forget that I asked about Koji... You can get back to your phone call now. I can do this on my own... I'm sorry." And with that, she was gone, heading into one of the back areas of the department head quarters before Yuya could respond.

… Not that he was certain that he even could've given an answer to her had she stayed.

Ren really felt that bad about it all? In the time he'd known her – and it had been a rough few months since they were assigned the case – the times he'd seen her this out of sorts were few and far between. The Block Massacre was the only time that came to mind actually.

She'd mentioned how difficult it was for her to handle the case … It was bad for all of them, but Yuya did his best to see it from her perspective … Obviously, she had quite the burden on her shoulders, but did it actually justify the way she had handled it?

Blowing out a sigh, Yuya shook his head. Shit. This needed more thought than he wanted to put into it at the moment.

Therefore, he pushed the thoughts away entirely and picked up his phone to call Koji.

…

" _Yes?"_

"She's gone now …. What's going on with your side of things?" There was a drawn out pause, and Yuya knew what Koji was going to say before he even said it. It was really just their luck.

" _I lost him. He didn't head for his gym either... I don't know where he's gone,"_ Koji's voice was both perplexed and frustrated.

Hmm.. It was odd for someone like Mikami to just forgo their schedule. Of course, it was possible that the secretary had just fed them the wrong info, but they had checked what she told them to any records they could. Mikami did have a membership at the gym she had mentioned, so he doubted she was lying. So that begged the question of why Mikami had changed his schedule so abruptly.. "Do you think he saw you?"

" _I don't know how he could've unless he has outstanding peripheral vision. He didn't look over his shoulder once, so the only way he could've seen me was when he left his office."_

"Then maybe he had _other_ matters to attend to tonight."

" _You don't think..."_ Koji trailed off meaningfully.

"I think it's possible." He paused for a moment. "Only time will tell," Yuya said grimly.

 **~}(5){~**

A few hours had passed since Koji and Yuya had left for the day, and Ren still sat at her desk in the precinct. Several files on WIK as well as a few news reports and public forums about the killer were pulled up on her computer, and in front of her sat the Kira case files as she was still looking into that. Even if WIK had told her he wasn't doing this for Kira, Ren knew that the former serial killer played a key role in this somehow.

Having spoken with so many people on the subject, Ren had a much better understanding of Light Yagami's appeal to so many people. However, she still felt like she was missing something, some piece of the puzzle that hadn't been pushed into place. There was a lot of dancing around questions and confusion surrounding Kira from the police side of the matter, and on the other side was the impassioned zealots. But she had noticed something that was common with both side. No one would refer to Kira as Light Yagami. It was like they didn't want to make the connection between the two even now...

Ren shook her head. Perhaps that was only her imagination. In the past few days, she hadn't been able to accomplish much work. After everything that happened with her team, her mind had been focused on that for the most part. The rest of the time, it was all she could do to keep the self-doubt from her thoughts.

Yuya and Koji had been very distant since then. When they met up to discuss the case, no one had said much of anything. They had agreed to continue on with their previous line of investigation, and that was about the gist of it. No theories were discussed. They hadn't even given her much of a progress report on the status of the interrogations. Mid-meeting, the report on Nagisa Miturou had come back … Nothing. Of course. There was never anything to be found from the victims.

On the bright side though, Yuya and Koji seemed to have stopped fighting with each other entirely.

In the past week, Ren had slept even worse than before. She was certain now that she was only getting an hour of undisturbed sleep at a time. In fact, she would barely be able to tell she was falling asleep at all if it weren't for the nightmares. They were vivid enough to be real life by now. It was always her and WIK and the victims … Ren never won in those dreams. Though she wouldn't die herself, she watched all the victims die, unable to do anything but watch as they stared at her with accusation and betrayal in their eyes.

Oh, and to top it all off, L still hadn't contacted her again regarding her request to speak with him in person. Ren huffed a frustrated sigh, rubbing at her forehead with one hand in an attempt to ward of her headache.

At that moment, as she picked up her mug and took a sip, starting as a soft chime went off on her computer.

After her last conversation with the killer, she had rigged both of her home and work computers to go off when she received an email from an unknown sender... Could it be WIK? She hadn't heard from him in a while... Ren's fingers tightened around her mug as she thought of having to deal with the serial killer again. However, the next moment, her nerves transformed to anger. The detective actually hoped it was WIK. Nothing about this case was going like it should have, and Ren was sick of it all. She had a few words for WIK right then.

Bringing up the increasingly familiar email, Ren clicked the link that brought her to a blank chat room. Before WIK could even offer her his sickeningly polite greeting, Ren was typing.

 _Why? Why did you do it? You told me not to! I assumed that meant you had a reason to keep it a secret. You're not an idiot. Even I have to give you that. You knew my team would figure it out._

 _ **Hm? No greeting? I would almost be offended had you not given me the generous compliment of 'Not an idiot,' Miss Ren. That's high praise indeed coming from someone whose aim is perfection. I should know as it's a habit of mine as well.**_

 _Stop avoiding my question. Why would you just tell my team?_

 _ **Oh very well. If you must know … Though I don't think you'll like the answer. I was simply curious.**_

Huffing in frustration, Ren frowned at the vague answer. She was tired of jumping through hoops while WIK gave her that vague bullshit and half-statements. At the moment, her nerves were frayed to the breaking point. Not today. She wasn't going to put up with it today.

 _What's that supposed to mean? Curious about what?_

…

 _ **Sorry for the delay. I needed a good laugh. Anyways, to be honest, I had every reason to doubt that you kept our agreement... Call it my own paranoia, but I assumed you would blab the moment you closed the website. My curiosity was over whether or not you would listen to me. Though I hardly thought you would, I'm pleased to hear that you did... Tell me, did you really think it would matter whether Tsukino and Ogawa knew or not? … Even Chief Aizawa, or your ex-leader Matsuda...**_

 _ **No, my dear. The answer is of course, no it doesn't. I've taken measures against being tracked. Besides that, how would I even have known? I didn't even realize you had stuck to our agreement until... Well, now. Oh, and keep in mind, it was you who told me to 'let [you] know if [I] was in the area.'**_

Surprised by the admission, Ren sat there for several moments, reading over the message again and again until it finally disappeared. Her mouth opened and closed a few times, disbelief and anger swelling inside her. WIK … He hadn't known? It was just as her teammates had said. There was no way the serial killer could've known, so of course, he would assume she would've told her team. That was …. Ren glared at the computer screen, unsure if she was more furious with WIK or herself.

 _Fuck off. Have I given you a reason to doubt my sincerity? I've been doing my best to keep us on good terms in the hopes that you would hold up your end of the bargain._

 _ **Oh my. I seem to have upset you – much like your two teammates were when they found out you were hiding things from them, I imagine. Did they turn on you, Ren?**_

 _That's none of your business. Your questions are supposed to be about me – not the task force. That's off limits._

 _ **Very well, I suppose you're correct in that. Does that mean you plan to continue our arrangement? I have my doubts in the face of your oh so righteous anger.**_

The dark-haired detective ran a hand over her face. Of course she was going to continue. She refused to let everything she had sacrificed for this opportunity to go to waste. Even running the risk of further angering Yuya and Koji, she couldn't let it all have been for nothing. Strengthening her resolve and attempting to push her emotions out of her mind like Yuya always when he was interrogation someone did so she could focus on WIK and _his_ answers, Ren began typing again.

 _I don't have much of a choice now, do I?_

 _**No, you really don't.**_

 **~}(){~**


End file.
